Right #8 You Have the Right to Age Grace-Fully!

When did America become a nation afraid of aging? I worry about what we’re teaching our children about growing old and our acceptance of aging…with grace…fully!

I remember my beautiful grandmother. When she laughed, the world sang! She carried herself as a lady, with intelligence, acceptance, and grace. I remember waking up and hearing her voice at the breakfast table as she would sneak in to visit during the night to surprise us. She was a joy to be around until she took her last breath.

I remember wrinkles around her eyes and around her cheeks and she would say they were the paths of wisdom and experience she gained from her many years of living. She didn’t have silicone breasts or a botoxed forehead, and when she gave me a kiss it didn’t feel like it came from a swollen sucker fish!

As a grandmother myself now, I think the best aspect of aging is perspective. It allows you to approach life with grace. I am much calmer now and seem to have more patience than I did as a young mother. I have a better understanding and acceptance of the inevitable mistakes made along the way, including their heavy price tags. I see the need of everyone to be accepted, and that no matter what position we hold in life, respect both for and from others is essential. I see that as much as we need to accept and respect others, it is also essential that we accept and respect ourselves – at every stage of life.

Do I enjoy the wrinkles? Of course not? Do I enjoy my age? You betcha! I am blessed to live and be healthy, and be loved, and continue to learn with a brain that still looks for the curious in life. I'm excited that I can impart my wisdom to my young audiences and keep an open head to hear a different point of view.

I go every year to the fair and gladly hunt down the guy who guesses weight and ages. I'm not going to get on that scale - but I'll win every single time and walk away with a prize when he guesses I'm 15 years younger than my age. When people ask me if I use anything to stay young - my answer is always YES - my secret is - I stay on the positive side of life!

If you’re afraid of aging (or just have a curious mind), interview some friends about their feelings and opinions on the subject. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the answers you receive. Many years ago I asked my 72-year-old grandmother if she felt her age. She said, “No, I feel like I’m in my 40s.” I’m not near my 70s yet, but I now understand what she meant.

Admittedly, health plays a huge part in growing old gracefully. Although we may not all be blessed with “good genes,” we can still make our jeans look better if we’re exercising, walking, dancing, laughing, and making better choices at our Buffet Table of Life.

When you look in the mirror tonight, accept with love and grace the body that has been your vehicle thus far. Don’t condemn or judge it. Know that it’s allowed you to think, feel, see, taste, touch, and hear all these years. Even if it hasn’t been able to do everything, it has blessed you with the ability to adapt its gifts and still make you valuable to yourself, to others, and to this world.

So age well.

You Have the Right to Age Grace-Fully!