“Hmmm…aging…ugh…wrinkles, grey hair, sagging skin…ugh…what’s to be said about aging that isn’t already apparent?” I think to myself.   In our youth centered society we are bombarded by wrinkle creams, hair dyes, exercise routines and clothes that we wish we could wear.  “Ahh, to be young again,” I mumble softly and go back to my writing.

The idea is to age “gracefully,” whatever that means.  We are all supposed to age gracefully, accept the wrinkles, put on a happy face and just remember that it happens to everyone.  Yes, age gracefully.  But, that’s easier said than done.  It is especially hard on the egos of those of us who feel like the young woman we once were – that is until we glance in the mirror and see the senior that we’ve become.

I’m 64 years old and believe me I’m trying to age “gracefully.”  I’m trying to accept the fact that even though I feel young – I’ve gotten old.  I mean when a salesman doesn’t question your age when you ask if they have a senior citizen’s discount, you know you’ve aged!

“Now, now, don’t even go there,” I tell myself.  I smile and continue to write, looking for the words to pass on about “aging”.  Then suddenly it dawns on me, “Oh, there’s so much more to be said,” I whisper out loud.  After all aging isn’t about the human body; we all know what happens to our physical bodies as we grow old.   No, aging is about the spirit.

Aging is about the wisdom that comes with those years.  Aging is about memories – both happy and sad.  Aging is about the relationships – the love that we hold within our hearts that grows and grows, and grows… “Yes, there’s so much more to be said about aging,” I whisper to myself.

You see, it is almost as if our spirits are given the gift of wisdom to replace the physical attributes that we had in our youth.  Our spirit is who we are and our life experiences both good and bad help our spirit to grow.  Our sons and daughters look to us for wisdom.  It gives us great pleasure to now have the patience and the wisdom to help them through the happy and sad times that life brings – to share our wisdom. “Yes, wisdom is certainly an attribute of aging that should never be overlooked,” I say out loud.  I smile, knowing that with age comes wisdom.  I mean how wonderful is that?

Oh, the memories, a lifetime of memories.  Memories are such a large part of aging.  Memories become even more important as you age.  You see sometimes memories are all that you have left of your parents or in my case the love of my life my darling husband.  It is the memories that enable you to keep on going.  It is the memories that brighten a lonely day.  It is the memories of a lifetime that keep you connected to those you love… “Yes, memories are certainly an attribute of aging that should never be overlooked,” I say lovingly as I think of all of the people that have walked in and out of my life.

But, if I were asked to write about the most important thing in my life, I would want to write about love.  When you reach the age of wisdom, love is really the only thing that is important.  It’s not about the home you live in, the car that you drive, the clothes that you have, or your career.  It isn’t whether you have grey hair or wrinkles. No, when you reach the age of wisdom it is about, “love”.  It is about the love that a husband and a wife share as they journey together.  It is about the love that you received from your parents and grandparents.  It is about the love you have for your children and grandchildren and the love of family and friends. It is also about the love and compassion that you feel for those you don’t even know.  It is about the love that you have given and the love that you can give. “Yes, love given and love received are certainly an attribute of aging that should never be overlooked,” I say to myself fighting to keep back the tears as I write.

So, you see, there’s so much more to be said on aging when you look at it in a different light; when you go beyond the physical.  “Yes, so many beautiful attributes of aging that should never be overlooked,” I smile and feel deep within my heart that maybe just maybe I’ve passed on a little of that wisdom to you…