One of the great things about being older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been.
Madeleine L’Engle
As I swiftly approach my seventy-eighth birthday, I’ve decided it’s time to refresh my profile photo. Every time I glanced at the previous one, I felt confined to a different era—a time when my identity remained static, not evolving with the passage of time. It was a snapshot of a brief moment in my life, no longer accurately represented the changes I’ve undergone over the years.
When I turned seventy, I made a decision to postpone any concerns I had about aging until I was eighty. I thought, like Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind, that I could think about it tomorrow. Unfortunately, turning seventy-eight was a harsh wake-up call. What happened to all the years I had to put this off? The reality of eighty was becoming increasingly close.
Bret Harte’s quote, “We begin to die as soon as we are born, and the end is linked to the beginning,” initially struck me as incredibly cynical. While it’s true that no one lives forever, allowing the inevitability of aging to define one’s life seems like a rather depressing approach. As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to realize that time flies by in an instant. We can’t control time, but we do have the choice of how we’ll cope with the reality of aging.
I was taught that whatever life throws your way, if there’s nothing you can do to change it, you accept it and move on. Aging certainly qualifies as one of those things beyond our control. I don’t necessarily believe sixty is the new forty. However, I do believe we’re living longer, healthier, and more capable than ever before. Why not embrace this newfound energy and enjoy life to the fullest? Ultimately, the only one who truly has the power to shape your life is you. You’re right; you can’t stop the clock, but you can choose how you spend the time you have. People in their seventies and eighties are going back to school, starting businesses, traveling, and even running marathons. Perhaps we’re not hindered by our age, but rather by the way we perceive it.
Peace be with you.
Aging with Grace 
7 responses to “Embracing Aging: A Positive Perspective on Growing Older”
My grandad skied and flew to Ireland to visit me till his late 80s.
Age is inevitable, the way you approach it is what makes the difference I suppose, also it is a luxury not everyone has.
As for you my dear you seems to actually fight it instead because you look at least ten years younger, may be you want to share your secret privately?😉unless it’s a portrait in your attic 😜
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Oh, my darling, you are very kind-no secret,no portrait in the attic.
Your granddad set a marvelous example for his family.❤️
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He was an exceptional man! But you set hope in me instead as I might have a chance of aging with grace without any deal 🖼️though😉
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Beautifully accurate and thank you for sharing from your well of wisdom. I need a new profile picture too, but am waiting for my hair to get a bit longer first, or maybe that’s my excuse! I love yours and you!
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You are so kind-thank you. You are beautiful just as you are. I love you too.❤️
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Beautifully written. My mother was the gold standard that I held myself too in terms of aging. She was the most vibrant and alive in her 50s and I knew that’s when I would blossom. I am now in my late 60s and although my body seems to want to slow down way more than my brain or my list of things I would love to create in my life… I have enjoyed the process of aging. It’s almost an intentional slowing down. But that’s where things get languid and lovely. I’ve been doing things like painting my house by myself and pounding in and digging fence posts and stretching wire for the fence. They sometimes wonder at the things I can still do. I know I won’t be able to do those things in my 80s but maybe I won’t want to? Anyway aging is a gift. It truly is. Thank you for such a lovely post.
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Thank you, it means a lot. Happy you had your mother as a role model for aging. For me it was my grandmother. I think it’s so important to have someone to show us the way. Our brains never seem to be in line with our bodies as we age. However, you have and still are doing an amazing amount both physically and creatively. ❤️
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