Every once in a while, I read something that makes me pause and scratch my head. Today was one of those days.
“If you want to live long, you have to grow old.”
How does that resonate with you when you read those words? When I first encountered it, I felt a bit defensive about the word “old,” but as I let it sink in, I realized it is 100% true.
I turned 60 this year, and to be completely honest, I found it somewhat frustrating. However, I do want to live long, so I must embrace growing old. As I continued to reflect on this, I recognized that my defensiveness about the word “old” is the real issue. We have all heard the cliché “age is just a number,” and I need to keep that in mind.
My struggle with aging has nothing to do with the physical changes in my body. I am trying to stay active, and in fact, I am playing more sports now than I did in my youth! My struggle with aging is more about feeling irrelevant and not making the same impact on the world as I did in my career as an educator and counselor. This aspect of growing old is the hardest for me.
I am working on reframing the whole age/old concept in my mind. Growing old is a privilege and not something we should fear. So, my friends, let’s all live long, fulfilling lives and grow old together. Let’s embrace the blessings of life and have a fantastic time while doing it.
