11 Reasons Aging Is Good For You

No one wakes up one day and says, “I just can’t wait to be a seventy year old with wrinkles and gray hair.” Although the signs of aging are inevitable, it doesn’t have to be a negative aspect of living.

While talking to one of the magnificent seven today, he started telling me about a woman he knows who is trying to hold back the hands of time. She has started getting Botox injections and instead of having a “normal” smile, the muscles no long work the same so her smile just isn’t the same. I could tell that he thought it was not only sad, but ridiculous to go through so much effort to stop a process that is natural.

Society dictates that when men age they are distinguished and women become old. Fashion magazines are filled with young, smooth skinned, perfect shaped women. The models create an impossible standard to live up to and an unrealistic one for most people which is why so many turn to plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures such as Botox to bring back their youthful appearance.

I’m going to age without needles or a scalpel on my face. Eventually wrinkles will move onto my skin and take up residency. Accepting it as part of life and celebrating the journey is what I’m going to focus on instead of the passing of my youth. Even now I tout that I’m a “Woman Aging With Style” and I believe attitude plays an important part in the whole aging process. Personally, I think I’m so much better in so many ways now than I’ve ever been! Let me share some of the reasons that I think aging is good for you. Of course, I’m basing this on the average person.

You Know What Love Is

I’m going to start the list with a biggie. Love. By the time you become an older adult, you know what love is even if you “settle” for a relationship that is loveless. Love isn’t that feeling you have for a movie star that you’ve never met, but watch every week on a television series. That emotion is called an infatuation. Love is that deep, abiding feeling you have when all your friends shave their head when you lose you hair to cancer. Love is what causes you to wake up an hour early to prepare a special birthday breakfast for your child or spouse. Love is unselfish, loyal and enduring. It makes the happy times happier. It pulls you through the hard times. It brightens the darkest night. When you grow old, you know what love is and you can feel it.

You Are A Grownup

Once you become an older adult, you’re no longer an innocent, oblivious, carefree child. The wrinkles and gray hair silently speak of knowledge and experience. People know you’ve been around the block a couple times and are willing to listen when you speak. Age means that you might possibly have already lived through it before and can help others not go down the wrong road. Being a grownup is definitely a positive aspect of aging.

You Have Memories

Yeah, that is a good thing! Once you’ve reached old age, you have a vast catalog of memories. Not only do they help you make better choices each day, but they make the present more enjoyable and bring comfort. I can look at a Lego building block and immediately be jettisoned back to being six years old. I often reminisce about wonderful experiences in my past and a smile will suddenly show up on my lips. As Elvis Presley would sing, “Memories, pressed between the pages of my mind…”

You Can Become A Grandparent

Although I’m only a grandparent to a nine pound red toy poodle, I know if Alyssa has children, it will be a wonderful experience. Bella and Turtle may know me as Granny, but I’m pretty sure it will feel different when it is a child. Being able to see parts of you reflected in your grandchildren must be a wonderful, overwhelming and delightful feeling. A part of you will go on living long after death.

You Slow Down And Stop Rushing

The value of a day and a moment becomes more evident as you age. Everyone likes the quote about it being the journey and not the end destination. Once you’ve gotten past high school, college, dirty diapers and all the craziness of being the inexperienced person at work, you realize the value of a sunrise, a sweet email, savoring each bite of dinner and the feel of a cool breeze as it blows your hair away from your face. Rushing becomes less important than experiencing, so older people have learned to slow down.

You Sleep Less

In sleep studies, it was found that older people actually sleep around thirty minutes less than the younger generations. Personally, I think it is wonderful that I will require less sleep! (big smile on my face) I’ve always thought that “sleeping” was such a waste of time. So an older person sleeps less and gains thirty minutes every day. Definitely sounds like a win/win to me.

Sex Is More Rewarding

Just because you get older, it doesn’t mean you have to stop having sex. Aging can bring about the best sex you’ve ever had! Think about it…

• You know how to have sex. Not just “have” it, but you know what feels good and how to make your partner feel good too.
• You don’t have to worry about getting pregnant anymore! Woohoo! Freedom!
• You have more confidence because it isn’t your first time at the rodeo. Confidence heightens passion and passion leads to more pleasure which in turn culminates in making love more often.
• Sex is more than sex. Aging adds a whole different depth of emotion and what used to be just “sex” becomes an experience that surpasses any romance on the movie screen.
• Since aging has taught you to slow down and stop rushing, intimate moments are more fulfilling and last longer. Does ANYONE see that as a negative?!!!

I’ve already written about how I feel about passionate sex, so the fact that I think sex as an aging adult can be amazing probably doesn’t shock you a bit.

Older And Wiser

It may sound like an ancient cliche, but with age comes wisdom. Since an older person has already been there and done that, their brains are like a computer. They can scan the hard drive for relevant information necessary to solve a problem. After experiencing something a time or two, it is much easier to find a great resolution to most problems. As a twenty year old, the hard drive is just about empty, so making the right choice is a bit more challenging. I’m not saying that just because someone ages that they will act wiser, but if they chose to do so, the knowledge is still in their brain.

You Respect Your Limitations

Even if you were a track star in high school, your body will still age. By the time you reach seventy years old, it is probably wise not to leap over track hurdles. I would venture to say that most fifty year olds can’t glide effortlessly over track hurdles either. Your aging body tells you quite quickly when you are pushing it too far. Because you have gained some wisdom over the years, you know better than to overdo it. Not only do you know the limits of your physical body, but you also have a better handle on your emotional and mental self. I’m sure most older women are thrilled that the teenage and menopause hormonal shift is o-v-e-r. Talk about a new lease on life!

You See The Big Picture

An older aging person has more life behind them than in front of them. That fact alone adds more value to life. With the memories of the past stored safely within reach, the perspective of the future isn’t narrow or petty. An older individual doesn’t sweat the small stuff. Age also teaches us to cut down the list of stuff you’ve just got to do. Most of the “gotta do’s” are not really that urgent. After a certain age, you stop caring what other people think about you because the big picture looks very different than the small picture of life.

Wrinkles Are Beautiful

My great grandmother was very old and wrinkled when I was a tiny girl. I remember that whenever I kissed her cheek, the wrinkles were soft and she smelled of soft perfume. I’ve always had a “thing” for “old” people. When I was sixteen years old, Mom was afraid that I was going to end up marrying someone three times my age because all I ever talked about was men who had white hair. I would go on and on about how they looked distinguished, were intelligent and acted charming. I still think the same thing! The only difference is that I am so close to the age of those white haired men that I’m actually in the same age group! Now I’m not jail bait to men with white hair. LOL That really made me laugh! Anyway, I love the softness of an older, wrinkled face. Wrinkles are beautiful on both men AND women.

Aging is a beautiful process. Wrinkles are badges of honor. Gray hair is a crown of glory. Our life is reflected on our aging body, so those laugh lines that are all around your lips mean you know how to laugh. Aging is a sign of what has happened to the physical body, but it also shows how you lived your life. Do you have happy, smiling lines or are you fighting growing older every step of the way? Fight all you want against aging, but it is happening to you every day anyway so you might as well just accept that becoming old is good for you!

Wait, before you leave…Sit down in this wheelchair and I’ll give you a really fast ride down the long hallway. It will be fun!!! Will you let me have a turn and push me too? 😉