Micki’s Meanderings
Hello,
As we
begin 2015,
the New
Year, I’m
sure you,
like I do,
tend to
reflect on
the past
year(s)
and look
toward
the future
with
renewed
hope and
positive
thoughts.
In the
last issue
I shared
a story from a Tyndall
reader, Jolene Vavruska. The one I am sharing in this issue of Her
Voice is also one Jolene shared with me. I thought it appropriate
to share at the onset of a new year as I believe you will too
when you read it and appreciate the message it brings.
OLD AGE
The other day a young person asked me how I felt about
being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old.
Upon seeing my reaction, she was immediately embarrassed,
but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would
ponder it, and let her know.
Old age, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first
time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not
my body! I sometimes despair over my body-the wrinkles, the
baggy eyes, skin spots and bumps, and the sagging butt. And
often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror,
but I don’t agonize over those things for long.
I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life,
and my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I’ve
aged, I’ve become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself.
I’ve become my own friend, I don’t chide myself for eating
that extra cookie, or for not making the bed, or for buying that
silly cement gecko that I didn’t need, but that looks so avant
garde on my patio. I am entitled to overeat, to be messy, to be
extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world
4vHERVOICE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes
with aging.
Whose business is it if I choose to read until 4 a.m. and
sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful
tunes of the 50’s & 60’s, and if I at the same time wish to weep
over a lost love, I will, I will walk the beach in a swimsuit that is
stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with
abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the
bikini set. They, too, will get old.
I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of
life is just as well forgotten - and I eventually remember the
important things.
Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can
your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a
child suffers, or even when a beloved pet gets hit by a car? But
broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and
compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will
never know the joy of being imperfect.
I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair
turn gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into
deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so
many have died before their hair could turn silver. I can say “no,”
and mean it. I can say “yes,” and mean it. As you get older, it
is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people
think. I don’t question myself anymore; I’ve even earned the
right to be wrong.
So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me
free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live
forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting
what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I
shall eat dessert every single day.
Written by: Anonymous
I leave you with Happy New Year wishes from myself and the
Her Voice staff and my wish for you to smile, laugh, enjoy life
and BE YOURSELF, as you can see from the picture, Marty and I
are. LOL!
Take care,