The Paradox of Aging

 

Recently, author Anne Akers wrote an article for The Three Tomatoes, the Insiders Guide for Women who aren't kids about meeting Patricia Greenberg aka The Fitness Gourmet. Patricia is the best selling author of Eat Well, Live Well, Age Well whose ideas for healthy aging are extremely insightful. The title of Anne's article is The Paradox of Aging.  In it she quotes, the deceased columnist and TV personality, Andy Rooney. He said, “It is paradoxical that while the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, the idea of getting older doesn’t appeal to anyone." It reminds us of the lyrics of a country and western song, "Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die."  We have been given the gift of longevity that also challenges us to want to make those additional years count for something. That's where it gets harder.

Many of our readers believe that while it is wonderful to have many years ahead of us after we retire, the challenge is to age well while living a fulfilled life.  Growing older presents its obstacles. Those obstacles are only made worse by the media who constantly reminds us that old isn't fun.  Almost everyday some media outlet refers to people who are of a certain age as elderly. A lot of the time those articles are referring to someone in their 50s. What are they thinking? If they would stick their collective heads out the door they would see people in their 60s, 70s, 80s and even beyond doing interesting things, having adventures, writing books, competing in sports, etc.  They may have aged, but they haven't given up. They are still enjoying life and finding fulfillment in their selected activities. These people have REWIRED their thinking about aging and dismissed the thought that "I'm too old to do that."

Don't let the stereotypes of aging get in your way. Aker's article offers sage advice: “One of the best ways to live life to the fullest and enjoy each day is to stop comparing yourself to anyone else, whether it’s a friend, a family member, and especially someone you have never met, much less a photo in a magazine!”

One of the lubricants of enjoying life as we age is having friends to share the journey. Acquaintances are nice to have, but there is nothing like having friends along for the ride. The connections we share as individuals give us the opportunity to age well, often with a smile on our face.