Aging with Grace

Optimism doesn’t wait on facts. It deals with prospects.

Norman Cousins

While considering optimism, I ran across this photo my son took of a kite he was flying. I can’t think of many things as optimistic as flying a kite. You’re required to believe the wind will keep the kite in the air, otherwise there is no point in letting out the string. Life is like that. Sometimes you just have to let out the string and see where it goes.

I grew up with optimism as a requirement. Raised by my Grandparents, my Grandmother had no patience for negativity. She would have liked the quote by Norman Cousins. He was a favorite of hers both for his writing and for his liberal point of view. They shared the struggle against heart disease and both had a determination to not give up on life. She was my role model and taught me invaluable lessons about facing life’s challenges. 

As I age, I’m happy not to have lost my sense of optimism. I understand how, for many, the challenges of aging might become overwhelming. My plea is to try to maintain a sense of optimism. It costs nothing and I am convinced of the positive role it plays in our life, if we let it.