Well, first of all, it does beat the alternative.  If you’re not getting older, you’re already dead!  And getting older has some advantages, in addition to the obvious disadvantages.  Things don’t work the way they did at one time…….rotor cuff syndrome in shoulders causes movements to need thought out ahead of time.  Hanging up curtains is a real challenge.  Knees with arthritis that only bother me in the cold make me hate to see winter coming more and more each year. Gray hair, well, I figure I’ve earned that “natural frosting.” You learn to think of your body and treat your body in a different way, like having to adjust your diet to accommodate newly diagnosed diabetes.  After about 2 months, the new diet is ok after all.

Starting to think a different way is something that just happens as you get older.  Everybody under 30 seems like a kid to me.  I can remember a time in my life, and so can most “olders”, when anybody OVER 30 was ancient, and not worth listening to when they talked.  Wow, how times have changed…….no, our thoughts change.

When I talk to “kids” now they are amazed that I can remember tv that was black and white and you had to get up to change the channel.  And phones!  There was a phone in our house when I was a kid, but it was attached to a wall by a cord and there was no dial: you talked to an operator.

Looking back over the technology that has happened in my life time is awesome. I am typing on my computer, operating a small sales business on-line by having an on-line sales venue, a FB page and I tweet!  Beside me lays a cell phone that calls home (ET!)  when I ask it to, and takes pictures.  

My kitchen has a microwave.  When my father needed to go to a big city to work when I was about 8, he came home and told a story.  There was a gas station that had a vending machine with sandwiches wrapped in plastic.  There was an oven there, where you could put the sandwich in, plastic and all, and have a hot sandwich in one minute!  Now, we all thought dad might have been working too hard, cos everybody knew you couldn’t put plastic in the OVEN, or it would melt and catch on fire.  Hmm, it took about 10 more years, but then microwaves could be bought for in homes.

Some people seem to become stagnant, but life is all a learning experience to me.  If I’d stop learning, life would not be fun, so I strive for it.  There are so many things left to learn, and so many that I’ve learned to teach to others.  When you’re older, people recognize that you’ve managed to gather some wisdom, and they want to hear what you have to say.  Many years ago I had the symbol above tattooed onto my body.  It is Japanese and means wisdom.  I hope I already have a lot and it is my talisman that reminds me to gain a lot more.

I’ve had some wonderful experiences in 61 years, and know some amazing people.  The journey continues, the learning continues, and all goes along as it should.  Here’s a great philosophy for everyone who is getting older.  Written by Max Ehrmann.

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.