AGING

Carol Beason

5 May 2016

Aging - Is only a matter of mind, if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter, this according to Mark Twain.

Aging begins at conception and only accelerates as we grow older, the concept of which is often lost on some. Something most of us don’t want to acknowledge. And who can blame us? The focus is on beauty, youth and productivity.

Our society adores the young and often times ignores the aging process. We soon forget why we came to earth in the first place so lose our focus. The older we get the more invisible we become, almost being transparent.

We are given messages along the way, often as young as 40 or younger that we are not as valuable as we once were. Society is adept at giving messages that focus on shallowness, not delving in on life experiences. If one’s family of origin gave messages that we are old at certain ages, we usually are, unless we find other avenues to supersede those beliefs.

Age should not be determined by the number of years that we have lived but on one’s mindset and experiences, taking the good and expanding on that, and learning the lessons from our more challenging milestones. If we continue to learn, be involved, surround ourselves with youth and children, and explore new paths our focus will be on being ageless, not aging.

So forget the numbers of years lived and the old adage to act our age. Like someone once said, “If we are acting our age, we are only acting.” Life, as short or long as it is, should be crammed full of fun, beautiful sunsets, crashing waves and long winding rivers, exploring, and seeking adventures that stimulate rather than deflate. If it’s not, we can change that in a nano second.