Gratitude and Trust: Six Affirmations That Will Change Your Life

Acceptance, Growth, Hanging In There

YOU’RE ONLY AS OLD AS YOU’RE REAL

I turn fifty-seven today….no…no…no… this is not a ploy to get endless birthday greetings. It’s just aging is on my mind. I had to talk about Medicare with the WGA the other day. That was a new type of conversation for me to have. “So, when I get to sixty-five, you guys only cover dental?” Sixty-five…Hold on, I’m adjusting to 57.

People say they don’t think about aging and I’m not sure that is true. It’s hard not to. We live in an ageist culture. Our images of older and old people in the media are usually on medicine commercials. They’re falling or are trying to get it up; Two not so awesome situations.

Fifty-seven is a weird age as it’s that age where you are almost at the end of the little boxes to check off. You know the ones that go

AGE

18 24

25- 34

35- 49

50- 64

65 +

 

I am now halfway though my second to the last box. The last box being of course exactly that – as far as they are concerned. The next box you get is the big one, is what they are not so subtly saying.

Whoever made up this way of grouping humanity?

I don’t believe that we go from 65 to the big box. I do believe we get older. I believe our bodies cannot take all things they could take when we were younger. If you do still drink or stay up late, trying doing today what you could do in your 20’s. Let me know how you feel the next morning.

Our joints do give out. Knees and hips go even if you workout every day. In fact sometimes that speeds it up. Though you can give yourself a big edge by working out and eating right. Gravity is a mighty force and it eventually wins over squats.

I have always been aware of aging, even when it was not something I should be concerned with. My mother was very concerned with aging and she has aged quite well.

My grandmother was not remotely concerned with it and she aged quite poorly. Of course that was another generation. And if you want to read what I really think about aging I wrote a book about it called Between A Rock and a Hot Place. Why Fifty Is Not The New Thirty.

I think many people are not as afraid of getting old, as they are afraid of becoming irrelevant. But in Forest Gumpian terms, irrelevant is as irrelevant does. If you stop doing things that make you relevant you will become irrelevant.

I work with Paul. Paul is 74. No point lying about your age in the time of Wikipedia. Paul is like a kid in many ways. He does is active, he stays relevant by keeping busy and doing things that count.

Aging will be SOMETHING IS CHANGING A LOT AND IT IS ME if you don’t do a boatload to make sure it doesn’t happen.

You can drift through periods of your life and it doesn’t make a big difference in certain ways. I don’t mean by not doing anything. But youth is a forgiving place. Age is the opposite

It was the message I tried to put forth in my book, that if you thought you were 30 and not 50 you would really be in for a rude awakening and an unhappy time. But if you accept that your are aging and that to stay in the game you have be very proactive on all fronts you can have a great last third.

If you don’t, age will take over. That is just a fact of science.

It’s one of the reasons exercise is so important. They say every day your body makes a choice it will age a bit or get stronger. If you work out you do get stronger and you give age a run for its Medicare money. If you don’t you will stand up like my grandmother used to, one, two three and UP and then wobble a bit before you are erect.

If you eat badly your body will suffer, your skin will look bad, and your hair will fall out more quickly.

But equally as important is to always be growing; the opposite of age is grow. We always talk about kids growing up. My how they’ve grown. But we don’t hear that about older people. After the age of 18 you never hear anyone say, “My how he’s grown.”

But growth is not just upward and outward, it’s inward. How do grow as a person? Are we constantly learning new things? Are we trying new things? Are we expanding as beings and people?

Age is nothing to be afraid of if we take it on and deal with it. We can exercise to keep the sagging and limping at bay. But then we must do the things in our power to keep us growing in mind and spirit.

I think aging teaches us to enjoy each moment. If you go through enough moments you know how quickly they pass.   That makes you stop and savor each one.

Aging can also teach us to be more grateful. It certainly has with me. You get past fifty and you start losing way too many people.

Sure I’m getting older and I’m very grateful for that, cause the other choice is not so great.

Now, if I can just figure out the whole insurance thing…..