Remember when you were young and life could never go fast enough?
I remember longing for the day that my feet would touch the ground when I sat on the couch. I couldn’t wait for the day that neighbors would think I was old enough to babysit. Oh, if I could only be old enough to drive, to date, to graduate high school, to get married, have kids. . .THEN life would be fantastic.
Today, I laugh as I hear my own kids longing to be older, while I’m looking at my own life, crying, “Whoa, Nelly! Slow the heck down!” Life goes so dang fast. When the gray hairs start sprouting, skin starts drooping, you notice you’re older than all the girls on The Bachelor, and you can reflect on life before the internet, it’s a major wake-up call. Life is to be enjoyed right now. How sad to not understand that lesson until adulthood. But gaining wisdom is part of the beauty of aging. Heaven knows, I could use more of that!
It’s really exciting to think of how much I have learned about life thus far, and how much MORE knowledge there is to be had. If having wrinkles is a side-effect of the time I need to gain more wisdom, I’ll take ’em.
The years teach much which the days never knew. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
When I look into the future, I still feel those longings, similar to those of a child. How awesome will it be to have grandchildren?!? How special will it be to have some private time with my husband? How neat will it be to know my children as adults? How fun will it be to have some time to develop my own talents? How much more will I know? How much more can I serve others? To me, life is a blessing from start to finish, if you make it so. * Key words – ‘make it so.’
When I’m having those days where I feel like all I do is wipe baby bums, clean up spills, and resolve conflict and I find myself longing for my kids to ‘grow up,’ I just have to remind myself that at one point in my life, RIGHT WHERE I AM NOW, is where I was once longing to be.
Each stage in life is challenging, yet each stage can be utterly fantastic…make it so.
Society would have us think that getting old is shameful, that what is happening to our bodies is incorrect and needs to be fixed. Looking your age is not looking your best. And, isn’t it convenient?
Millions of dollars are spent every year by those clinging to their youth. When we’re bombarded with ads, TV spots, and showcases glorifying those sporting their man-made, fictional looks, it’s hard not to fear aging and jump on the bandwagon. Can you imagine a world where every age was just as welcomed as the next? Where wrinkles and natural body changes were considered as correct as they are? The only thing shameful is how much of our precious time, money, and thoughts are being wasted on dreading age. It puts a damper on our ability to gain as much wisdom, progression, and bless as many lives as we can. That fear is robbing the world. And the more people get sucked in by the deception, the more the fear and pressure thrives. If only the focus was on aging in a way that we can live our best life. For me, there can never be enough pressure to eat healthy, exercise and to keep my mind active. Bring on that pressure, cause I know that THOSE things will only help motivate me, and I will enjoy my older years, and the life I’m living now, that much more.
You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair. ~Douglas MacArthur
Am I afraid of getting old? Sure. I’m afraid of looking back on life and wishing I had done MORE…more loving, serving, playing, laughing, learning, developing, noticing, improving, and so on. That is what I fear, and that is my focus. I want life to be fantastic, no matter the circumstances, and I will make it so, gosh darn-it.
Get Old is a new community from Pfizer, and it’s focused on making the most of the aging process. You can visit their site, share your thoughts on aging, read the thoughts of others, and get the tips and tools that will help you improve the quality of the life you have. Aging isn’t simply about the elderly; all of us are in the middle of our aging process and can benefit from exploring the changes with a community like Get Old.
How do YOU feel about getting old?? Do you dread it? Is it exciting?? How do you maintain your focus on what’s important?
Leave your answer in the comment section and you will be automatically entered to win one of three $500 Spa Finder gift certificates, courtesy of Pfizer and BlogHer! Entries from all participating blogs will be pooled and three winners selected. For your convenience, here are highlights from the Official Rules for the Sweepstakes. Please note by submitting an entry you are agreeing to the full Official Rules, available here.
No duplicate comments.
Please do not mention or imply any pharmaceutical products in your posts. Posts that mention or imply a pharmaceutical product will be subject to removal.
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt at the bottom of this post.*
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*Note: if you want to comment but either (i) are not eligible or (ii) do not want to enter the giveaway, please include something similar to the following statement in your comment: “I do not wish to enter the sweepstakes.”
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Medical professionals who are licensed (or are otherwise authorized) to prescribe medications are not eligible to enter. While BlogHer encourages you to share your thoughts and experiences about getting older, comments discussing medical conditions and/or medical products are not permitted, may be deleted, and are invalid entries. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
This sweepstakes runs from 6/18 to 8/31.
Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Get Old page to find out more about the Get Old platform and read how other bloggers feel about aging!
