Old age, I decided, is a gift.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, 
the person I have always wanted to be.  
Oh, not my body!  
I sometimes despair over my body ... 
the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, 
and the sagging butt.  
And often I am taken back 
by that old person that lives 
in my mirror, 
but I don't agonize over those things for long.



I would never trade my amazing friends, 
my wonderful life, 
my loving family 
for less gray hair or a flatter belly.  
As I've aged, 
I've become more kind to myself, 
and less critical of myself.  
I've become my own friend.  
I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, 
or for not making my bed, 
or for buying that silly cement gecko 
that I didn't need, 
but looks so avant garde on my patio.  
I am entitled to overeat,
to be messy, to be extravagant.  
I have seen too many dear friends 
leave this world too soon; 
before they understood the great freedom 
that comes with aging.



Whose business is it 
if I choose 
to read 
or play on the computer 
until 4 a.m., 
and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself 
to those wonderful tunes of the 60's, 
and if I, at the same time, 
wish to weep over a lost love... I will.

I will walk the beach 
in a swim suit 
that is stretched over a bulging body, 
and will dive into the waves 
with abandon if I choose to, 
despite the pitying glances 
from the bikini set.

They, too, will get old.



I know I am sometimes forgetful.  
But there again, 
some of life is just 
as well forgotten ... 
and I eventually remember 
the important things.

Sure, over the years 
my heart has been broken.
How can your heart not break 
when you lose a loved one, 
or when a child suffers, 
or even when a beloved pet 
gets hit by a car?  
But broken hearts are what give us 
strength, understanding and compassion.  
A heart never broken 
is pristine and sterile 
and will never know the joy 
of being imperfect.



I am so blessed 
to have lived long enough 
to have my hair turn gray, 
and to have my youthful laughs 
be forever etched 
into deep grooves on my face. 
So many have never laughed, 
and so many have died 
before their hair could turn silver.  
I can say "no", and mean it.  
I can say "yes", and mean it.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive.
You care less about what other people think.
I don't question myself anymore.
I've even earned the right to be wrong.



So, to answer your question, 
I like being old.
It has set me free.

I like the person I have become.
I am not going to live forever, 
but while I am still here,
I will not waste time 
lamenting what could have been, 
or worrying about what will be. 
And I shall eat dessert every single day.



Author Unknown



 I received "Old Age" as an email 
and knew it deserved to be done special.