GETTING OLD and OLDER

This was sent to me years ago by a friend, and I reflect on it every now and then. As time goes by...God knows I need to read it and ponder on the way I should be looking at my self and so on... I don't know who actually wrote it. **********************************

The other day a young person asked me how it felt-like to being old. I was surprised and almost shocked, for I do not think of myself as old. I replied that this was an interesting question and I would ponder it, and let her know. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Old age, I decided, is a gift! I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometimes despair over my body; the wrinkles, the thinning hair, the baggy eyes and the sagging parts. And often I am taken by surprise by that old person that lives in my mirror. (who looks like my mother) But, I don't agonize over those things for too long! I would never trade my friends, my life, or my family, for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I have aged, I have become more kind to myself and less critical of my body and self. I have become my own friend. I do not scold or punish myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making up my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need. But is sure looks great on my garden patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy and even to be extravagant, every now and then. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom and wisdom that comes with aging. Whose business is it if I choose to read or study on the computer eight hours a day, or sit endlessly by the lake? I will sing and dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50's and 60's. And if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost friend...I will. I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over my bulging body, and dive into waves with abandon, if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet-set. They, too, will get old. I know sometimes I am forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well to be forgotten. I will eventually remember the important things. Sure, over the years my heart has been broken! How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebodys beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what gives us strength, understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile. It will never know the joy of being imperfect. I am so very blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray, and to have my youthful struggles be forever etched into the deep groves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what others think. I don't question myself, anymore. I have earned the right to be wrong. ... So, to answer your question, I LIKE being old. It has set me free...to do as I choose...I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be.....And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)