Lately I’ve been reading some editorials on aging. I guess at my age I navigate to material discussing those golden years. It is very interesting to grow old in America…..no one goes over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house anymore.

Grandma has been busy getting a pedicure, going to Red Hat meetings, and working out at the local gym. Most likely she’s had another face lift before the holidays and is ordering the Christmas meal from a grocery chain which she’ll reheat in the oven and microwave. Why? Well, she’s too busy to cook and the family has special needs when it comes to eating……everyone has a personal preference and you wind up with pizza, cheesecake and brownies.

Those “good ol’ days” where it took a week of cooking to make everything from scratch on a wood cook stove are gone. I grew up watching my grandmother and mother and the aunts working for days on the special meal. No one I know misses the long hours of preparation. Nice to remember, though.

I came across an article that begged to be read. The title asks…..What Are Older People Good For? It begins by saying we need to get away from the negative thinking about “old folks.” We have served in the work force most of our lives and need to be included rather than stuck in a corner. We have contributed to the arts, invented new products, spanned the country with every kind of shipping, worked in factories and the list is endless.

The best commodity of old age is that we have time. At last we can do those things we could only dream about on the jobs. We’ve done it all…..a treasure of wisdom and experiences to make life easier for folks coming after us. At the time it seems that no one listens but later on when reason takes over they remember. Someone needs to put it out there though.

Back to the article, they say older people have much to offer. Their suggestions read like a good resume. “Wisdom, storytelling, family heritage, unconditional love, anchors in the family, community volunteerism, keepers of valued traditions, living history, grandparenthood, good listeners and role models of aging well.”

It goes on listing the amount of money we all spend to look and feel younger. The craze in America is to look thin and have those perfect proportions. Men and women both go under the knife to achieve the desired look which doesn’t always provide the result. Instant gratification is the motivation.

I have always been a non-conformist. If the crowd goes one way, I desire another. It makes more sense for me to be who I am……not to look or act like anyone else. It is amazing how God has made us uniquely different and I want to stay the way He made me with the possibilities He put into me. There is nothing wrong with looking as good and attempting to grasp the possibilities He put into us.

Old age is not scary or I would be scared stiff. Old age gives more than it takes from us. At last we are content with the world we call our own, we have mellowed and have grown to respect the fact we aren’t perfect or higher achievers. Old age means we have the time to be grateful for the years we’ve had, for the people we have loved in our life and to show that love every time we can.

For many of us it also means we will have to face losses. I can honestly say that I am stronger because of the losses. I have been blessed by the lives of those who have gone before me and I know I will see them again in a better place.

What is old age anyway? I think it is a preparation time for the next big event in our life. We entered this world with no choice in the matter and there is a time we will leave…with only the choice of where we go from here. The time is unknown but the place can be known if you desire it.

Essentially Esther