If you’re reading this and you’re younger than 50, you may want to review in your mind what you understand getting older is all about and discard those beliefs that leave you feeling negative about life.  Just get rid of those now to make room for new, better beliefs that help you feel even better about yourself than you already plan to feel.  For those beliefs that you just feel “eh” about, put them into a safe cubby hole in your head labeled “for further investigation” that you can take out to ponder every now and again when the time is right for you to decide what is a “keeper” and what can be let go.

Getting older is a total trip.  There really isn’t a good way to explain it to anyone who isn’t the age you are when you’re explaining what it’s like to be older except for those people who are your age.  I mean, when I think about the times my Mom and Dad used to tell me that even though there were xx age, they felt like they were 12 or 16,  I just kind of smiled at them and didn’t really get what they were saying at all.  Today at 53, I totally grok what they were saying.  I’m very grateful that I live in a day and age where I can get away with hopping up on to a brick wall and balance-walking to the end of it if I feel so inspired.  Partly because I can physically do it and mostly because I so don’t care what anyone’s opinion is of me doing it.  It’s great to be free from worrying about what other people think of me…..most of the time.

It’s a startling occurrence when our bodies first begin to show signs of aging, such as the tell tale signs on our faces.  I’ll never forget the first time I was flying down the highway in my red convertible at the age of 42 and just happened to catch a glimpse of myself in the side mirror.   It was pretty sobering when I caught the image of a  middle-aged woman instead of the young 20 something girl that I felt like in my heart and soul.    My husband kids me all the time for being so vain about my wrinkles—and he’s probably right—but we woman have been steeped in worrying about how we look for so many years, it’s hard to break the habit.  Not that it is wrong to want to look attractive; however, many of my male friends around the same age are certainly not as focused on their looks as I am on mine.  At least those guy friends of mine who are self-realized and have done a lot of working on their psyches.

Here’s another great thing about getting older that I don’t remember learning about when I was younger and that is how much fun it is to realize that you know more than you may have thought you knew.  For instance, I’m back in school and who knew that I would be one of the, if not THE, biggest blabber mouth in political science class? Certainly not me.  Especially when we’re covering dry subjects like taxes and the economy.  It’s also nice to know so much more about broadcast communication then I had any idea I knew and to have a real connection with the professor because we’re about the same age.  In fact, I’m going to meet with him next week to talk with him about changing my major from the very boring Bachelor of Arts and Sciences track (cuz that’s what they recommend returning non-traditional students to take) to Mass Communications.  I mean, I don’t have any grandiose vision that I am going to  the next Katie Couric by the time I graduate, but life is just way too short  to be taking classes that you don’t relish. Thank you Mom, thank you Kat.

I hope that if you are older that you realize that you can reset whatever negative thoughts or beliefs you’re carrying around about being older. They probably are really not true or they could use a real good editing job.  And if you’re younger and reading this, well hallelujah enjoy your life as it unfolds! It only gets better, really it does.

Remember, we humans are just 80% bags of water.  Might as well swim through life while we can and enjoy the journey along the way!