Getting older is both a fact of life and a process that applies to everyone although people have various ways of approaching and embracing the aging that occurs, with some being more accepting of it.
All of us get older
All of us are getting older, but that’s a good thing. It means that we are still alive and still engaged.
True, the prospect of getting older when we are at a young age seems exciting. We look forward to that next birthday or a milestone date that signals we are ready to participate in something important and potentially life-changing for us.
However, at some point in our journey through life, we realize that we have been getting older – in the passage of time if not in a decline of some of our physical skills and abilities.
What this means for us
If we have an active life, subject to any physical limitations which might limit that, we should be happy that we have been able to live as long as we have and experience as much as we have along the way, even if we’ve had many challenges as well.
No one is guaranteed a certain number of years of life, so we need to embrace what we have and enjoy it. Aging, and more specifically, aging in place, allows us to do that. Our homes provide comfort, safety, and security for us.
Turning our back on aging and pretending that it is not happening or that it won’t affect us may make us feel better about the process, but it doesn’t stop it. There really is no point in looking or acting many years younger than our actual age just for appearances. We’ve earned the badges of age.
Looking ahead
While the term aging may not be the most positive or uplifting word we might want to use, why do some of us feel it necessary to relabel the aging process? Everyone is a day older today than yesterday, and we all are aging. This is a universal condition and nothing to shy away from recognizing.
While remaining young might seem desirable, along with a more youthful outlook on life and the ability to do many of the physical activities that we could at younger ages, getting older has its benefits as well.
As we get older, we tend to worry less about pleasing everyone all the time, or about having that latest fashion accessory, or being a trend-setter. We get to do life more on our terms than when we were younger. We are more comfortable in ourselves and not so concerned about what everyone else is thinking of what we are doing. We get to be occasionally forgetful as well, and if we feel the need to take a nap in the afternoon or go to bed early, no one seems to mind.