The Top 5 Joys of Aging

We live in an age-defying society and culture that feigns natural and feeds superficiality, spending, and never-ending discontent. While young folks rush to become adults, their older counterparts strive to hold onto that same youth they so anxiously tried to leave behind.



We look at aging like it's a disease. We dread the wrinkles, grays [or balding], sun spots, and sagging, and counter them with even more pore-clogging [clown] makeup, creams, dyes, Botox, scalpels, whatever it takes. And in the meanwhile, we ignore what we actually gain in the process. [And I'm not referring to the weight due to a so-called slowing metabolism, though we often ignore that too.]

Below is a friendly reminder that there are, too, joys of aging. Yup, that's right— joys. No matter how old. Feel free to add your joys in the Comments section following :>

Top Five Joys of Aging--

Number 5: Fully equipped kitchens and real food.

Remember school? We spent most of our youth there and had to subsist on cafeteria slop, re-hydrated freeze-dried foods, and other fast, mass-produced, ready-to-eat crap. Settling into a place with a decently equipped kitchen, cooking real food, and spending time with friends over the homey dinner table— mmm, there's nothing like it..


Number 4: Additions to the family.

'First comes love, then comes marriage (optional), then comes baby in the baby carriage.' Aside from the pooping, crying, and tantrums, how can you resist gushing over all the cute faces of baby spawn, posted by friends and family [in addition to, perhaps, your own]?


Number 3: Shorter memories.

There are definite advantages to forgetting things quicker. For one, it makes forgiveness that much more easier..



Number 2: Wisdom and the ability to give back.

I was helping a third grader with his vocabulary. He gave me this sentence: 'I have a lot of wisdom about baseball.' Wisdom, he read, means knowledge.

But wisdom is more than just knowledge. It's about experience, the ability to know better, and the gift to share it with others. What's better than being able to navigate this grand world with ease, help others, and give back? Like cheese, being aged makes us sharp.


Number 1: Who cares?

Pimpled adolescence is ridden with self-centeredness, -consciousness, and bullying, it's pretty ridiculous and equally amazing that so many of us survived the torment and angst. So after years of trying to figure out the world and our places in it, probably the best thing about aging is becoming more relaxed and comfortable in our selves, learning to let go and not get so hung up on the petty little things, and just enjoy.

See? Aging ain't so bad after all..

Happy Healthy Juicy, We All Get Older So Might As Well Go With It!