On Getting Older
I subscribe to a feed from the NY Times about baby boomers, so I’ve been reading a lot about aging. Writing my notes for this post I listed many of things I liked about getting older and I realized that except for senior discounts, they weren’t exclusive to being older, just wiser. So I guess this isn’t just about getting older it’s about maturing in the fullest sense of the term.
I find I am more comfortable with who I am and that I am much less concerned with what others might think of me. Don’t get me wrong I still subscribe to the golden rule and social norms, I still strive to grow personally and professionally, but I don’t berate myself as much as I used to and I’m learning there is benefit in trying and not just succeeding. I also understand my priorities better now than I did 20 or 30 years ago and this helps immensely with making decisions.
I also know that staying healthy and fit have kept me feeling younger than my chronological age. Handling stress is also something that I do much better now. I’ve learned that stress is always present, it’s my reaction to the stress that has changed. I like to say that I am able to have a space between the action or stressor and my reaction to it.
In the last 18 months I have lost my brother and my father so I truly know that life is too short to hold onto grudges, anger and petty grievances. I am lucky that I had closure with both my brother and dad.
Lastly I realize that I treasure experiences much more than things.
Years ago when I still worked at Nike, I started going to an acupuncturist because of back pain, but I continued going because I found it helped put the space between action and reaction. If you have a health or pain issue or if you need some more space between a stressor and your reaction to it, give me a call and let acupuncture help you age gracefully.
