Everyone wants to age, unless they have some kind of suicide wish. When you’re under ten years old, you call it growing up. When you’re a teenager you may say, “When I get older,” but you say it with hope, not dread.
So when does the dread start? At what age do we stop wanting to admit we’re aging? 20? 30?
Remember how when you were 12 you wanted to be 18 and when you were 18 you wanted to be 21? Is that the age when we stop wanting to be older?
In this age of emphasis on the kind of energy that only the very young can have, some people dread turning 30, because they see only a downhill slope after that.
But I believe it’s all in your attitude, which is why I’ve decided that 106 is the age to dread. By then I’m certain to be blind, deaf, toothless and no longer ambulatory. And that’s the year my oldest child will turn 80 years old and may not be able to take care of me any longer.
So go ahead. Try to talk about aging like a teenager would: With hope, with plans for the future. Why not? Because if you’re aging, it means you’re still alive.
Grab your life, shake it up, and drink it with enthusiasm.
Let’s talk about it. What age do you – or did you – dread the most? What are you planning for the future?
Hmmm, when you are 106, I’ll only be 72… I think I’ll still let ol’ Jan take care of you though.
You know, maybe it should be the youngest that gets to have the fun! Or, to be more practical, Ellie or little M. Williams. Have you read the About Me page? The responsibility is a possibility!
I could not wait to be 30. My reasoning was that at 30 you were a “real” adult. Before thirty, if you did something dumb, then people would say “Well those are just the mistakes you make when you are young” but after thirty, it was “Well mistakes happen.” I was not as excited to turn 40. I did throw my own birthday party though. I did it just so no one could do it in a way that I would not appreciate. Think I will do that again for fifty too!
Ol’ Jan? Remember Sarah, age is an attitude!
When someone tells me they hate getting older I always tell them it sure beats not getting older. I have always loved every year because I have always looked forward to becoming one of the older women teaching the younger women. I have had such wonderful examples of Godly older women in my life and I want to be like them.
Somehow I’m not surprised you have that attitude, Faye. You’re one of the most positive people I know. Maybe that’s because you’re not only grateful for what you’ve received but want to give to others. Thanks for your input.
Mitzi, I wonder what age it is when if you do something dumb, they say, “Well, she’s old. What does she know?” or “Poor thing.” If I’m already there, I’m choosing to ignore it. Re: Your parties. You do know how to throw a great party; why take a chance?
Funny you chose this particular topic. I just started a Curves program today, and decided I was going to throw myself into becoming a better singer. I realized I’d been thinking, since my voice IS going, that it was too late for me. But I have people on the risers with me that are in their 70’s and still singing. I’m trying to think of some physical risk to take, like hang gliding, or something like that. That scared me when I was in my 20s!!
I didn’t want to turn 40, or 50 or 60…. but as each age came, I tried to give myself a challenge of something THAT age group does better than younger people. Wisdom, and wearing purple, and sitting on the step learning how to spit comes in there somewhere.
Learning how to spit? Somehow that hasn’t been on my list of things to do. That’s so funny, Yvonne.
And thanks for the idea for what could be an entertaining article: Things we can do now we couldn’t do when we were younger.
I know what I have going for me now: Time! Glorious, flexible, get-up-when-I-want-to (early); go-to-bed-when-I-want-to (variable) TIME!