Aging Gratefully: Accepting My Body
What does aging gratefully mean?
For me, it means not being afraid to look at myself in the mirror.
It means acknowledging my body’s physical and emotional scars head on and saying – remember how afraid you were? And look, you got thru it
It means seeing laugh lines as life lines and feeling pride in my resilience no matter what the universe has thrown at me.
It means recognizing that gravity has taken its toll and my navel is a frown rather than a happy face;
It means allowing myself to feel vulnerable because let’s face it – that’s not just about age, it’s about being human.
It means laughing and understanding that sunlight is not necessarily my friend, as I sit in the car at a stop light and suddenly notice a wild hair sticking out of my chin.
It means accepting that my memory stutters on occasion and I have to take a moment to remember things more often.
It means getting real, (pause) knowing that my health can be disrupted in seconds, and yet I’m staying in the moment as much as possible - which gives me a chance to live my life, not squander it.
And finally, it means offering a word of thanks to this body, imperfect as it is, “Thank you. Thank you for sticking with me despite all the years I’ve taken you for granted.