This past June I turned 63 years old. When I was a small child and I met someone my age I thought they were ancient. And, I still think it sounds ancient! I’m not a fan of this whole aging thing. In an effort to cheer myself up a bit, I decided to start looking at the advantages of growing older instead of the disadvantages. This is what I’ve come up with.
First off, and this is by far my favorite advantage—wisdom. With enough accumulated years, a person just catches on to things after awhile. Having made plenty of stupid mistakes, I’ve learned a thing or two. Mind you, this doesn’t mean I can’t royally mess things up still; it’s just not as likely.
The rest of my advantages aren’t quite as heady, although my first one does have to do with my head. I no longer have to wash my hair every day. As a woman ages her skin/hair gets drier, thus the time between washes continues to lengthen. Of course, dry skin is one of the main causes of premature wrinkles so don’t start the celebration quite yet!
Candles—I can afford them. I love candles, they just make everything cozier, and I figure since I no longer need to purchase feminine hygiene supplies, I don’t have to feel bad about spending that money on candles. Mind you, the downside of the whole candle issue is that I have to remember to blow them out and sometimes the ol’ memory doesn’t kick in like it should. Oh well, at least there are those cool battery operated candles now—the nice ones that look real—and since I’ve saved all that money on unmentionables, I can afford them, too.
Shoes. This one kind of coincides with the whole wisdom advantage, I’ve given up wearing uncomfortable shoes, especially high heels. Mind you, I was never one for high heels but the advantage of old age is no one even expects you to don those pain-inducing contraptions anymore. I’m good with that. Of course, my tennis shoes don’t look good with all of my outfits, and quite honestly, that’s a little bit problematic for me.
I once heard about a mom who told her kids that their taste buds change every two months so they should keep trying foods they don’t like because they might enjoy them more as they grow older. I’m not sure that’s 100% true (although a genius way to get your kids to explore new food options) but my taste buds have indeed changed as I’ve gotten older. For instance, I can now ingest most vegetables without horrendous gagging. I consider that a real win. Mind you, I’m still not fond of said vegetables, and for pity’s sake, please don’t feed me peas, pickles or green olives, but otherwise I probably won’t embarrass myself. It also doesn’t bother me to politely say, “No, thank you.”
I’m sure there are more advantages to being older. Some would say it beats the alternative, but I disagree with that. I’m planning on the alternative being an express trip to heaven, which definitely sounds better than wrinkles, sore joints, and gray hair. So instead I like to think I’m that much closer to God’s presence. Hey, maybe this aging thing isn’t so bad after all.