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 baggyeyes, and the sagging gut.

And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my father!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend

I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that 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 til noon?
I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 70'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!

Great Write!!!
Your not old!!!

I gave upon looking like my younger self awhile back!

Wonderful sentiment! I hope you live a happy long life.

Amen.

Great read and just what I needed to hear right about now!

Thank you all for your comments, it's good to know I'm not the only one that feels this way

Very well said Tommy! I'll be caught up to you 12 days after your next b.day! I've never considered myself old.

I was asked by a child today how old I was going to be christmas day, When I said 49, he said He thought I was going to be 100! The child is 5, so I laughed it off ,, but it stuck with me and I came to terms with this post ,, I'm not old ,, I've just begun to live , I know who I am now.

I`m not old,I`m just aging gracefully I have had a lot of fun getting here. Yes sometimes the ol bod tries to tell me different I have just begun to live. I`ve got a lot of good years ahead of me. I`m gonna live like I wanna live.

Life is a gift no matter what age you are. You just realize it when you get older.

You are never old if your heart is young. This is coming from someone "younger" than you.....not

At twenty we worry about what others think of us;
at forty we don't care about what others think of us;
at sixty we discover they haven't been thinking about us at all.

its ok im 28 and i feel like a 70 year old man

they say that age is just a number - but i dont think its even that - its a personality its a state of mind. my father is 64 years old and get on his mountain bike every morning and the butt crack of dawn and rides 20 miles, he loves snowboarding, snow-shoeing, and mountain climbing - age is just a state of mind. conclusion - YOUR NOT OLD AT ALL!!

LACI

that was beautiful.... thank you

Hey.....did I miss another ego-stroking??? {just kidding} Plus you have Laci to do that now!!

No, you are not old.....I know people who are 20 and are "older" than you and I, enjoy life and all it throws at you!!

I feel like I am getting to do the whole "do over" thing. And I plan on taking full advantage of all the gifts I have recieved in the past year. Have you ever said, "I wish I knew then what I know now"? Well, now I do. My future looks very bright indeed.

Merry Christmas to the young and the young at heart