Wisdom with Ageing

I had heard that a friend had just had a birthday, so decided to ring her up and say happy birthday.  Telling her that I hadn’t known it was her birthday she replied “oh I don’t like them anymore so just pretend they didn’t exist”.  I fully understood where she was coming from, she is in her early 70’s and this aging thing isn’t sitting very well with me either and I’m not her age yet.  I don’t like the changes that are happening to me and I’m not sure they can be reversed! I hear them tell me they can be reversed, but I don’t seem to be able to do that.

Ageing like my Grandmother

I remember walking behind my grand mother when I was a child and listening to the explosions that protruded out of her ass with each step she took.  “Nanna” I’d say wondering why she did this in front of me, “well better out than in” was always her reply.  Now as a 59 year old, my ass does the same thing and it’s often involuntary.  As the tube in my stomach uncoils when I stand up after sitting a long time, it releases all the built up gases and for some reason they have to be released, so I burp like there is no tomorrow feeling so much better for their exiting, what is happening to me?  I’m behaving like a little piggy.  My body is changing and I can’t control it like I once use to.

My fingers are getting lumps on them, obviously the arthritic fingers of my mum and grandmother will soon be mine too.  Oh well at least I know what my hands will look like in a few years as the fingers twist and knuckles grow.  I’m not ready to be the old ladies they were.  I get out of bed in the mornings and find myself hobbling to the toilet unable to walk properly as my ankles and knees seem to have locked, 5 minutes later and I’m walking in some sort of normal fashion but it takes me time to get to the normal, I’m not enjoying this, I want to bound out of bed like I use to.

There seems to be all these negatives on getting older that we can concentrate on, they can pull us down and depress us.  Wow is me, I’m getting old!!!!  But, I don’t want to do that.  As I said to my friend, not getting old has much worse consequences.  Not being here to see the family grow up would be much worse.  So yes I love being alive even if I do have to put up with an aging body.

Wisdom is part of Ageing too

The best part of getting old is the wisdom it has brought me.  I love it!!!  I see everything in a different prospective to the way I have ever seen things before.  I understand how and why people are behaving in the way they do, I stop and smell the roses before I judge, comment or even have an opinion on things that are happening.  I don’t have to be a sheep and follow the thoughts of others around me and I love it.

I have learnt to sit back and listen before I speak or don’t speak.  I can choose whether I engage or not and share my thoughts and feelings or keep them to myself.  I love that I can do this.  This is the wisdom of aging.  Imagine how much more I will see and know as the years keep going along.

I love that I can explain why things are the way they are to my children, I can help them understand the reasons for others reactions and behaviours.  As they get older they also seem to listen more to what I have to say.  They have learnt that mum really does know what she is talking about and worth the time to listen to now.  The have grown wisdom so they can choose what they take in too, wisdom grows slowly over the years and I can see their development growing too. Their growth means the wisdom being passed down, which is nice to share.

Look past the Ageing Body and celebrate

Don’t ever dismiss old people, if their mind is still working well, no matter how much their body had deteriorated the wisdom that they hold is priceless, it’s a shame it takes so long for us to learn and see the gold in life that comes with the wisdom.

So bring on the birthdays, lets celebrate each and everyone.  As children are excited to get to the next one because it means they are closer to growing up, we too should celebrate each milestone as a measure of the growth of our wisdom.  We often see this when people are over the age of 90, but maybe we should start the bragging rights much earlier.

I’m getting older.  YES!! YES!! YES!!

– Lorene Roberts