I bet you’ve never seen that title before. We just don’t talk about all the things we LOVE about aging enough!
But it’s pretty amazing! It’s almost as though all of the physical appearance changes that we consider to be losses on the outside, you are actually gaining on the inside!
Here is what I am gaining each day. Perspective. I am broadening my perspective and my heart is growing each and every day. My past experiences are allowing me to see through a new lens and things that used to rock my world simply don’t rock anything. They are just a little blip versus the monumental ripple they may have been in my past.
Your give a shit gets reworked! And damn, it is finally getting on par. You realize that you shouldn’t worry about all of these trivial things. And you begin to love yourself in a way you didn’t think possible. I have many more bodily flaws today than I did in my 20s. But I love my body so much more today than I did in my 20s. I am gentler on myself. And although I still may criticize certain physical features, it is no where near what my internal voice used to do to these very same features when they were “imperfect” in my 20s. Boy, I look back now and realize I was damn near perfect, laugh out loud, but I didn’t see it then. I am trying to remind myself daily that when I am 60, I will look back on my 40s and think that this was pretty damn perfect. Again, my perspective allows me to do that and grow in that way. It’s awesome!
Life gets a little bit simpler. Being a good person means something and knowing that the kindness you put out into the world truly does come back to you!
You are your toughest critic. But as you get older I feel like you acknowledge the experiences and hurdles you’ve overcome. You wear them as a badge of honor and you don’t give unnecessary attention to unnecessary things!
I was recently at a funeral and I realized I was the “old lady” in the room. I heard myself saying things like, “I remember when you were little” and “I can’t believe how grown you are”. I got to meet the new girlfriends and boyfriends of these adorable little kids I watched grow up through the years. My words of encouragement, “I haven’t seen you since you were 8 years old and look at this grown man now!”
It’s simply amazing. And we don’t give it justice. Think of all of the gains you’ve had. Acknowledge your gains and spend less time focusing on your losses!
Wow, time flies. I got to say things like, “Oh Billy, you’re doing great for yourself!”
And it felt so good!
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