Aging gracefully: a new defintion

March 26, 2013
Credit
If you’re a Baby Boomer, aging is probably on your mind. 
Aging gracefully is a horse of a different color. 
Literally.  Because it means something different for everyone.
Some people believe that aging well requires cosmetic enhancements or surgery. 
Women’s magazines are filled with ads and articles about fillers, procedures 
and surgeries that make women look like identical cyborgs. 
That scares me.
I’ve blogged about this before, HERE.
And then there are women who go natural all the way. 
Aging gracefully means aging naturally, at least in their lives. 
I’ve written about them, too, HERE
 And of course, some of the more famous women 
who are beautiful in old age, 
whose naturally aging looks are models for the rest of us— 
and I’ve blogged about them HERE.
But when I thought about aging gracefully 
and what it means to me, 
it had nothing to do with how I looked 
and everything to do with how I accept the changes in my life that 
have come, 
are coming 
and will continue to come 
as I age. 
To accept with grace limitations 
that I can not do anything about.
Rather than rewrite that and because I feel so strongly about it, 
click on my post from two months ago, HERE — 
and let me know what you think about this definition of aging gracefully
–which departs from the norm.
Thank you.
And blessings to you as you age.
In fact, blessings to us all.

8 comments on “Aging gracefully: a new defintion
  1. Graciewilde says:

    This hits home on so many levels. Here’s an odd personal rule I seem to have developed: To be aging suggests that one is losing in life. To avoid losing the game, one must deny that one is aging. One must go at the pace of a younger person. One must make light of (or even deny) any physical disability. One must maintain an appearance that suggests youth and vitality. Never wear elastic waist pants away from home.
    Wait! Who made THAT rule? And how does that make sense? Oh, that’s right. That would be big business/advertising industry. My best friends – not.

  2. Lovely! I read all four of your blog posts (five if you count this anchor post, too). You offer great insight on the topic. I liked all of them, but if forced to choose, I like the one with the cherries (on natural aging/beauty). Thanks for sharing your gift of insight / writing.

  3. Thanks, Karen! And Gracie, yes, such a good point.

  4. conniemcleod says:

    Lovely. And blessings to you too.

  5. What I like about aging is there are so many choices for us. One woman may “do” hormones, another may avoid them, there’s the plastic surgery, or not, and we are all still going in the same direction.

  6. I love the wisdom and maturity that comes with aging…this is really the most fun time of my life. I can enjoy the excitement…with fewer mistakes. Good post!

  7. D. A. Wolf says:

    Hear, hear.

    Although I take exception to the way we switch from the verb “living” to the verb “aging” (with all its owner baggage), I agree with the heart of your view. There are so many factors in our growing older that we cannot control or know – some of them, hereditary, others luck – but we do have the ability to be pragmatic.

    We can also learn from our parents and their behaviors (I did click over to your post from January) – and not only what they do right in our estimation, but what they do wrong, so we may conduct ourselves otherwise.

    Wonderful post.

    Big Little Wolf

  8. I enjoyed reading all your posts. I think it’s sad that Cher won’t get out of her time warp. She has lovely features and could have been a role model as an aging beauty, but instead she has made herself look ridiculous.

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