Lessons on Aging

I always longed to have my mother’s beautiful white hair, but I gave little thought to the aging process that brought it about. As I have aged, I have learned lessons along the way, and here are four of them: First, treat your body right.

I have made a healthy diet my medicine.

I exercise regularly and spend quality time with God.

At the age of sixty, I did not feel or look old, and my medical history, though not perfect, was better than many my age and younger.

Second, if you can laugh at yourself, it does not matter who else does. Somehow, threescore and ten snuck up on me. I have learned the hard way to prevent falls by walking slowly, reducing climbing, and not turning around suddenly.

I now calculate how I will get up before bending down to retrieve anything. Aches come and go in places I did not know existed. Squeaks follow me, not from my shoes but from my knees. I am now aging! Thank God all of these are manageable and often cause me to laugh at myself. Third, commune with God continuously. My prayer and praise life has skyrocketed. As I open my eyes each morning, I thank God I am alive, I can see, my mind is sound, and I can hear myself thanking Him. As I get out of bed, I thank Him that I can stand and walk by myself. Devotion in my garden reaches greater heights and continues throughout the day.

If I mislay something in the house, which happens more often now, I ask Him to find it for me, and often, as I open my eyes, I am led to it. I pray more for protection as I leave the safety of my home and give thanks as I return. I thank Him more for food and shelter, as I see many on the streets without either. I take nothing for granted.

Fourth, befriend young people. Over the years, God has blessed my life with the friendship of many young people whom I encourage and pray for.

I thank Him for them. They have kept me young at heart, and now they are becoming invaluable as death takes my peers away. Aging can be as good as you make it or as bad as you allow it to be. I now yearn for the Second Coming, and while I strive to live a better life each day, I look forward to living eternally on the earth made new.

Cecelia Grant