Embrace Getting Older

I have now turned a year older, so I thought this would be an appropriate post to write. Most do not like this concept. It just means we are closer to death. Time is passing. The clock is ticking. I have so many things I need to do. I haven’t been able to achieve the things I wanted by this time. These things go through the heads of most people who dread getting older. We live in a society that shuns getting older. We think our lives are over by a certain age, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

I have come to terms with getting older. I no longer feel shame, or sadness about turning a year older. I have learned to be proud of my age. Maybe it is the fact that my 30’s have been the best years of my life physically, mentally, and emotionally. This can all be because of practicing mindfulness. I say you are as old and young as the mind feels.

If you are living in the moment. Getting out there, and doing the things you love to do, experiencing life. Working towards your goals. You can feel as young as you need to be. I think mindfulness has allowed me to embrace getting older, because I learned to accept what is. Getting older will happen, if you like it, or not. It is better to embrace it, and learn to see the positives of it, than to create a mindset of sadness and negativity.

I like to remind myself that not everyone gets a chance to live to their 30’s and up. You hear people say, ‘he/she died so young,’ and feel so much sadness. Yes, it is sad. This is why you should be proud to reach an new age. You made it another year. You got the opportunity to live a year longer. You got to see this from this perspective. We feel sad when people die young, but feel sad when we get older. It is quite a juxtaposition. I say be proud that you have lived to feel old. Not everyone gets that chance. It is something you should be proud of in this unpredictable world.

The problem is people focus on the past. They have regrets, or missing what was. They look back on their youth, and think about the ‘good times.’ The past is the past. You can’t go back. You can’t change it. The things you can do is embrace it. Be happy  that you had the experiences you had in the past. Try not to look back with regrets, but with fond memories.  Focus on today, and enjoy your life now. so you don’t have regrets on your death bed. Put energy into your physical and mental health, so you are as energetic and vibrant at an older age. I see people in their 60’s thinking their lives are over, and it doesn’t have to be that way. You can still do things, and live a fulfilling life at that age.

Getting older shouldn’t make us sad. It should make us proud. Living a long, and fulfilling life should be a goal to everyone. Embrace the years that you are able to have. You have the opportunity to right wrongs. To work on your mistakes. To experience new things. To live life the best way you can. This can all happen by having the opportunity to get older.

I am in my 30’s. In no way is that old, but when I reach my 60’s and up. I like to feel as good as I can be at that age. I try to eat healthy, and exercise, because I want to live a fulfilling life as long as I can. Life is unpredictable, but I do have some control over things, so I will do what I can. You are only as old, as you think you are. You have control of what you think.