Aging with Grace

Certain things, they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone.

J.D. Salinger

On Halloween, our son came over for dinner and after we had eaten we decided to watch, ET. I hadn’t seen it since it came out in 1982. We all commented about the changes we noticed in the past 40 years. Maybe, if ET had a cell phone he could have phoned home. Technology is one of many transformations we have experienced as time as moved on.

Change is more prevalent as we become older. Our children grow up and leave home, we retire from our jobs, often we downsize to a smaller home, physically we can’t do all the things we once did. Sadly, as we age, many of our family members and friends pass on. Our lives become altered in numerous ways.

In general, I’ve never had much of a problem with change. In a work setting things change all the time. Employees come and go, regulations are revised, systems are updated. I didn’t see the point in spend energy being upset over something I had absolutely no control over. Oh, I suppose in some cases I had a few moments of irritation, but I got over it.

I do have some problems with changes brought about by aging. Our country, unlike many, does not value its older generation. We are a youth driven society and we will do everything we can to maintain the appearance of youth. It’s a multi billion dollar industry. As time has gone on, families are not as close and don’t feel an obligation to concern themselves with their older relatives. Assisted living facilities have become warehouses for the aging. A place to go to die.

Once again, much of this I have no control over, therefore I refuse to spend much time on it. Overall, I am happy with this time in my life. I have had to be a survivor to get this far. That means I have developed a smattering of resilience. I would like to believe I have acquired some wisdom along the way. I refuse to give in to the maladies of aging. I will do what I can to mitigate my aches, pains and wrinkles. Whatever I can’t change I have decided to ignore. Let’s call it a prerogative of my age.