INSPIRATIONS

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Reflection

The other day a young person asked me how I felt
about being old. I was taken back, for I do not think of
myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, she was immediately
embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would
ponder it, and let her know.

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 sometime despair
over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and
the sagging butt. And I
didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my
patio. I am entitled to a
treat, 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 AM and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes
of the 50's & 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
jet 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 somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a
car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and 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 turning 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.

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. (If I feel like it)!!!!

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY
WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!

MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR
FACE AND IN YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER!

Send this to some old person for a smile, and some
young ones for a dose of reality !

Posted by mingsworld.com :: 1:04 AM :: 0 Comments: