Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years.
We grow old by deserting our ideals.
Years may wrinkle the skin,
but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.
I have a phrase that I commonly use when asked how I am doing. Its, “not too bad for an old woman,” and it is usually accompanied by a knowing smile, although not 100% of the time. Usually it makes people stop for a moment and try to think of an appropriate comeback. Sometimes they are good, and sometimes I can see their minds churching about their own age. And occasionally I will let them off the hook by saying something like, “I have been saying that for 30 years or so;” which I have.
Age is a number and a mindset. I am about to have yet another birthday and have been around for many decades. But, it has recently occurred to me that my current age is nothing like what I remember my mother’s or grandmother’s life being like. I have been fortunate in many ways. I have been able to pursue most of my dreams and have many more mountains to conquer. And, actually, if you were to ask my daughters, they would say, “My Mom will never grow up.” And, she doesn’t mean only in adult responsibilities. In many ways, I have known and shouldered some adult responsibilities since I was a young child. But that’s for another day…
I have indeed grown up, but I have learned that it is a conscious choice to have a mind and a mindset that grows old. We get older in numbers and hopefully maturity. Our bodies are not as limber and yielding as they once were, and our minds may not be the steel traps we once thought they once were for information. But, it is a choice to keep learning, keep evolving, keep exploring, and to keep meeting life’s new challenges head-on. Until you stop doing these things, you are never old, and you will never grow up.
Enjoy the journey. It is the thing!
~ martina
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