Grow Old, Not Up
What are your thoughts when your birthday rolls around? Do you get excited or choose to just ignore that another year has passed?
There is a lot of fear mongering around growing older in our society. While it is certainly getting better, it can be hard to embrace our age and accept that there can also be good that comes with another passing year.
Birthdays are often a time of reflection, and after mine, I wrote a few things about what I have learned and hope to continue to embrace as I get older.
Celebrate Where You Are At. Instead of yearning for the past, enjoy all the good that comes from your current chapter. Before you know it, more years will pass and you will be wishing for the age that you are now. I loved the fun of my 20s, but the confidence that comes with being in your mid to late 30s has been very freeing, and I am excited to see what 40 and onward brings.You probably have similar things you have enjoyed as you have gotten older. So choose to focus on those good things and embracing where you at instead of constantly wishing that you could have the same body you had when you were 18 or the wrinkle free face of your early 20’s or that you could have four shots of tequila, sleep for two hours, and feel fine the next day (okay I admit I sometimes wish for that last one!).
Keep Playing. I aspire to be like my best friend’s mom when I get older. She takes amazing trips, wears fabulous outfits, is in phenomenal shape, and has a great community of equally as fun girlfriends, all while being in her 70’s. I am sure you know someone like that as well. Who doesn’t let the fact that they are - fill in the blank - years old stop them from living the life they want. There is no reason that all of us can’t be like that. We should all embrace our inner child a little more and continue to play, learn, and have fun no matter our age!
Words Matter. Please stop bitching about being old. Besides the oft-repeated but very true saying that growing old is a privilege denied to many, it’s also very tiring. I have friends who started complaining about getting old in their early 20’s and now over ten years later, haven’t stopped. Hopefully you will live a very long life, do you want to spend your precious time complaining about getting older each year? I also believe that our words and thoughts matter and influence how we act and even how we look. The next time you find yourself complaining about “being old” try to reframe it to focus on something you are enjoying about your current age.
Take Care Of Yourself. Yes, we should all try to embrace growing older a little more, but there are still practical realities to deal with, such as the fact that we have to work a little harder to take care of our bodies and health. I am grateful that I have spent the last decade making time for my health and wellness, and I am sure in another ten years, I will be doubly grateful. The investments that you make in your health now will have an outsized effect in the future. So lift your weights, eat your protein, make the doctor's appointment, and put in the effort to take care of your health now so that you can play golf, pick up your grandkids, and walk around with ease in the future.
