Aging | Positive Thoughts
Celebrating Age
A Positive Take
When I’m feeling down, I enjoy looking at art and positive posts on social media to cheer me up. While I found some smiles, there was also a lot of negativity. Much of it was centered around growing older. I wanted to take a minute to share a positive outlook on aging in case anyone else needs a happy boost.
Reflecting on Years Past
The carefree years of childhood and high school were nice. I developed my love of music, writing, and reading during these years. However, I also felt stuck and realized what anxiety really could be. Those who think the teen years are not a bumpy chaotic hormonal mess are rare.
I enjoyed my twenties even though they were a rollercoaster. I fell in love and had my girls. I also lost my job, dropped out of college, finished college online, and was exhausted, worried, and broke while raising children through it all.
My thirties are probably the roughest decade so far. The positive is I began to finally figure out a bit about myself and build some confidence. I also decided I wanted to learn to draw and began learning art. But I was also busy with trying to get my head, and my family, above water after the 2008 fallout, raising teenagers, and building a new career starting from rock bottom.
The Now and Looking Forward
Aging brings so much opportunity that may not have been there in the younger years. There is a saying that has been attributed to George Bernard Shaw, although I believe he meant it in jest, that sounds true, but I disagree with, “Youth is wasted on the young.”
The thing we forget is that it is the trial and error and hard learning during youth that brings the wisdom of age. Therefore, youth is never wasted. It would be safer to say,
“Opportunities are wasted on those dwelling on the past.”
I am now enjoying my forties and I look forward to what the future decades hold if I am blessed to have them. I’m not saying my life is now a bed of roses. There will always be challenges no matter how old you are. I have just learned to have a more positive mindset about those challenges.
I raised a couple of children and now I get to watch them venture off and begin building their lives and careers. While there is an empty nest, it is an exciting thing to witness and I am proud to say I am their mother.
My husband and I met in college and married, rather quickly, when I was twenty-one and he was twenty-two. This year, I have been married to him longer than I lived with my parents. Time has brought us a deeper understanding of one another and a closer intimacy that is difficult to articulate and something I cherish.
Life does not stop when you hit middle age or older. There are stories of people opening a shop in their 60s, publishing their first book in their 70s, or running their first race as a centenarian.
Life keeps going, which is awesome since we are more knowledgeable about the opportunities we may make for ourselves.
Keep learning and stay curious. I am definitely still learning every day. Age, many times, also comes with more freedom, time, and resources we may take advantage of.
There is a story I heard of a woman who was over sixty, retired, with kids grown, and she wanted to learn to sew. She signed up at the local university for a couple of free classes from their senior tuition waiver program and ended up graduating a few years later with a master’s degree because she was having so much fun!
For those of you dreading the later years, do not fret. There are so many wonderful things to look forward to if you keep your eyes open.
For those of you who have hit middle age or later and are dwelling on the negatives, take heart. There may be positives to look forward to, to build upon, or are already there if you look.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. This article is my thoughts, observations, and opinions and is intended for entertainment purposes only.
