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Monday, April 2, 2012

GROWING OLD

     Surely, youth is over rated. What pain and suffering in middle school, and high school! What angst in puberty, and learning about love with all of its attendant heartaches and dependencies! What upset comes from our green-horn bravado as young adults taking the world by storm.
     If we are open to it, aging comes with increased graciousness, wisdom, and calm. We have learned a bit about who we are and what we value, about what foods and exercises serve our bodies best, and about what and who we love the most.
     I believe that life begins at 40, and then again at 60, and then again at 80. The longer we live, the more comfortable we can become with who we are and being in our own skins and how life works... and doesn't work. We don't have to freak out over every little thing the way we do when we're 16, or 30. I think growing old is a gift, not a burden. It is only horrible if that's the way we make it. We have a choice in the way we grow through the years. We can grow fat, or sickly, or wise. We can appreciate our changing bodies and embrace increasing health at any age. Culturally speaking, we seriously underestimate the importance of mental, emotional, and spiritual health. We focus all of our attention on the body, and miss the point of life, and time, evolving our spirits.

Every day that I live is a chance and an opportunity to improve my health.