Yesterday was my birthday. Forty-seven years old. One year closer to fifty! Unlike most people, I’m not especially dreading growing older. I see it as a badge of honor and something to celebrate. After all, I’ve managed to do pretty much whatever I have wanted to do for nearly a half a century, and I survived and learned a lot along the way. I also believe I still have a few decades of doing what I want to do in me, because I’m lucky enough to still be in fairly good health. These are all things to celebrate!
Of course, there are downsides to growing older. Gray hair and wrinkles. They are easy enough to ignore. I just don’t spend a lot of time looking in mirrors or worrying about it. There’s not much a person can do for gray hair and wrinkles without spending a load of money, and I’m pretty sure I’ll never be the sort to spend a load of money fighting the outward signs of my age. Maybe I’ll revisit the concept of trying to look younger than I am when I have a load of spare cash and more wrinkles and gray hair, but have you ever read about what exactly a face lift (or any sort of facial plastic surgery) entails? I can’t imagine ever putting myself through that just in the name of smooth skin and the illusion of youthful vigor.
Other downsides of growing older aren’t so easily ignored. I don’t have as much energy as I once did. I can’t seem to get as much done in a day. I move slower, feel more tired, and sometimes my brain doesn’t give me the answers I’m looking for as quickly as it once did. Oh sure, I can still push myself just as hard as ever, burning the candle at both ends and forcing my body and mind to get done what needs doing, but afterwards, I’ll be paying for it by it being too fatigued to do much of anything for a couple of days. The answer, of course, is to slow down and accept that my body and mind aren’t as nimble as they were in my twenties. I’m doing the best I can to balance the pressure I put on myself to do things with my ability to do them as fast as I’d like. I’ll eventually strike the right balance. I get better at it all the time.
But there are upsides to nearing fifty too! I’ve lived a life. I’ve done things and seen things and watched world events unfold in the world around me for almost a half a century. I know things. A lot of things! That’s pretty awesome. It’s also sometimes pretty sad, because right now I see the world trying to turn backwards to a time and mental space I’ve see us work to move beyond before. It’s also great that I’m finally at an age where most people treat me like an adult and don’t immediately discount things I’m saying or feeling because I’m young. To be certain, some people still treat me like I’m a kid with no sense or intelligence, but I suspect that now has more to do with my being female than my age … and that has more to do with how America is seemingly backsliding on women’s rights (or at least really trying to roll back that clock). But at least it’s not my age holding me back anymore! LOL!
So I’m a year older, and I’m OK with that. Sure, there are more gray hairs and wrinkles, and I’m moving slower than ever, but I’m smarter, know more than ever, and the things I do get done are done well and masterfully, and I don’t feel so much like I am floundering though life with a blindfold on anymore. Also, I have a wonderful husband I have had the joy of spending the last twenty years of my life with and a gaggle of friends I love and who love me in return. I have a home to live in that I love, even if it’s a little run down and worn around the edges and a collection of adorable cats to keep me entertained and on my toes. I have my work and hobbies, both of which bring me happiness. I can’t complain too much.
Growing older is inevitable, and so far, I seem to be doing OK at the game of life. I’d like to be doing better, but like I said, I still have a few decades on this spot of earth, and I’ll just keep pushing forward and setting goals, even if it takes me a bit longer to shuffle up to them. LOL! Viva middle age!
