What’s golden about getting old?
This past week, I had a BIG birthday—one that is hard to wrap my head around. The number is 80. Yes, eight—zero. Because of that, I have been obsessing more about thinning, spotting, forgetting, repeating, and the absence of eyebrows. And what’s with the wobbly legs? Not only have I wondered how I got here, but who and why did someone, somewhere, come up with the term Golden Years?
This quote hit a chord: “The good news is I’ve made it to the golden years. The bad news is—there ain’t no gold.”
Of course, that’s not really true; We can find plenty of gold—if we look.
I ran my own survey, asking friends, “What’s golden about getting old?” I hope you enjoy their answers as much as I did. You will find much wisdom, humor, and good mental health attitudes.
- I don’t have to live through many more elections.
- Getting more and more irritated by less and less.
- Doing as I wish each and every day!
- Having time for joy, reflection, and gratitude.
- I know more.
- Not a d%@# thing—but, I can call my own shots.
- It feels golden to sit in the sun, read in the middle of the day, call a friend, and not worry about time!
- I’m lucky to reach the Golden Age—a stage where I actually have time to reminisce about the good old days—good, bad, and otherwise.
- No commute! Very flexible calendar!
- It means wisdom, inner peace, deeper family connections, more meaningful relationships, and freedom.
- Being secure in my own decisions and not worrying about how others perceive them, as we did when we were younger.
- We picked a bad time to get old, with what is going on in the world.
- Time for reflection, to appreciate all I have been given, and to try to give back as much as I can.
- People are so kind to this ole lady!
- As I grow older and face my own mortality, I’ve become closer to God.
- I’m still trying to figure that out—so far I’m still looking.
- The freedom to choose how I spend my time.
- Being more mellow in my approach to life! ( I don’t have to solve or fix everything. Let the little stuff resolve itself, and most of it is: Little Stuff. )
Closing with a quote from Sophia on the TV series The Golden Girls. She always could wind it down, wrap it up, tie it with a bow, and speak to the point: “No matter how bad things get, remember these sage words—You’re old, you sag, get over it.”
Thank you, Sophia. I needed that.
Truly, gratefulness equals happiness, and I might not like the number, but I love the life.
Until the next time: Live while you live
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