Aging Gracefully

Among the many things I am doing this year, aging gracefully is certainly not one.

I have long observed that as people age ... we're talking over 65 here ... people tend to develop personality directions. Some, who have been impatient and hard charging actually appear to mellow and begin to enjoy a slower pace, a kinder slant. Others, who once prided themselves on their ability to get along, to cope, to deal with the slings and arrows, suddenly find that their patience has ebbed, their coping skills evaporated and their view of life on the planet grown dimmer.

I fit into the second category. And, I'm not the only one who has noticed it. Some of my nearest and dearest are finding it difficult to contend with.

Some of the causes include failing memory skills ("where have I put those durn keys this time");
or maybe the economic situation that requires a full time job (working for a man even older than I), and probably most notable, the realization that life is winding down, it has not been particular successful or fulfilling and the chance of improving the track record looks mighty slim. These are not mellowing ingredients.

Most of all, I find myself behaving in exactly the way my mother did (altho' she was much older when it became noticeable) and getting the same results in my childrens' behavior that I exhibited.

Further, when you start going to an increased number of funerals, or reading about old friends in various obituaries, the mortality of it all does impress. Maybe that's what makes me most impatient. I need to read more, write more, see more friends, keep track of grandchildrens' accomplishments, and remember to thank God for the ability to do it all.