As I’m Getting Older…

Why do we have to grow old? Why did God design us to grow old?

“Now that our hair is starting to grey, we share remedies for all forms of aches and pains and laugh about how we are getting old.” (Photo: morguefile)

During my childhood years I never thought of time. My friends and I were just living and having fun and time was slipping through our fingers.

We never gave a second thought to what month it was, what year it was and how old we were. We were unaware that time was passing by. That is why a lot of things seem like it happened yesterday.

It feels like I got married not long ago, that I had my babies not long ago, that I started my career not long ago. But it all did happen a long time ago.

As we are ageing we ask ourselves: how did I get here so fast? Where did the years and my youth go? I remember seeing older people throughout the years and thinking they were years ahead of me, and that 40 or 50 or 60 was so far off that I could not imagine what it would be like.

Now, my friends and I all fall into these age groups and our hair is starting to grey. We share remedies for all forms of aches and pains and we laugh about how we are getting old. Some of my friends are in better and others in worse shape than I am — but in all of us I see a great change. We say to each other that we are now the older folks we used to see in others.

If you are at the start of the winter of your life then you have a great opportunity to shape this part of your life. Whatever you still wish to accomplish, get on with it and do it. Do not procrastinate and put things off for too long. This life has a dreamlike quality and goes by amazingly quickly.

Do what you can today. There is no promise that you will see as many seasons of life as others may. That is okay, too.

Live for today and say all the things you want to tell your loved ones while you have time to do so. This will help them to appreciate and love you even more for yourself, and not only for the things you have done for them over the years.

The beautiful part about this stage is that life has taught us a few lessons. And good ones. We are now more confident, we know who we are, we know what is good for us and what isn’t. We have more knowledge. We are emotionally more intelligent. We are able to make decisions with more confidence. We have learnt great lessons through relationships and we appreciate the good relationships we still have. We understand the importance of being present to the spirit who dwells within us and we have learnt a few ways of how to listen to the spirit.

I have to admit that I do have some regrets. Mostly they are about the things I wish I hadn’t done, but also those I should have done. I comfort myself in the hope that this is balanced by the many things I am glad I did. When you take stock of your life, you may find the same.

And as the winter of your own life is likely to sneak up on you in no time at all, make the most of every day that God grants you and enjoy it as much as you can. Don’t forget to have some fun and be content with whatever comes your way.

No matter what may happen to you, the acceptance that all our experiences serve a wise and higher purpose can turn each day into a good one.

Every day each of us can say: “Today is the oldest I have ever been. With this new age I will be better than my previous self.”

Live healthily and remind yourself every so often that nothing in our present existence truly belongs to any of us. Only who we are and what we are is important and has power and value — not what we have. A happy and loving heart and a peaceful accepting mind are the only wealth in this life that is worth acquiring.

The ageing process turns us into good people and that is God’s plan with old age.