Growing Old
“Just ’cause there’s snow on the roof doesn’t mean there’s not a fire inside.”
― Bonnie Hunt
Suddenly, you find that you cannot go to sleep at night.
You are wide awake, staring at the ceiling or anything else that you can see in the dark.
It has hit you that you are aging. Actually, you have always been aging since you were first born. But now it is different.
Where before you were young and had you whole life in front of you, you are now older, much older. And instead of looking ahead at what awaits you next, you are looking back at all of the times you have had or the times you have missed.
You have come to the realization that your life isn’t as long as it once was.
Time has passed and so has your lifespan. And it bothers you. So much, that you can’t sleep at night. So you lie awake at night, wondering how much more time you still have.
How much time we have on this earth is always a question. We don’t really know. Not since we are born, until the day we actually die. Some of us will live for a really long time. Others, a relatively short span. The real question is, “What do we do with the time we have?”
That should not include fretting about our age, and how much time we still have. Obviously, the older we get, the less time we still have on this earth. But then even more so, we should use it wisely and stop fretting about something we have little or no control over.
So, how should we spend our time? Here are some suggestions that may help with that:
Grandchildren
Some of us have had children who in turn now have children of their own. As grandparents, we can help to get them going in the right direction and foster another generation of our family tree.
As grandparents we may get to experience the joys of little children without the diaper changes and sleepless nights. We can love our grandchildren, lightening our heart while benefiting them at the same time.
Research has shown that children need four to six involved, caring adults in their lives to fully develop emotionally and socially. The grandparent / grandchild relationship is second in emotional importance only to the parent / child relationship.
Spend time with loved ones
Retirement isn’t supposed to be entirely joyful and relaxing . It is how that time is spent that makes it special.
Growing older and means more time to spend with family, friends and other loved ones.
More opportunity to pursue dreams
Per novelist George Elliot, “It’s never too late to be what you might have become.” We always have the opportunity to pursue dreams and passions that may have been put on hold”.
You can learn a new language, take a trip you’ve always dreamed of, or write the book you have always thought about. There is a lot you can do. Just do it.
Participate in civics or volunteer
Growing old provides a sense of a broader perspective. It often makes people inclined to focus much of their efforts and energy towards bettering society and creating a better world for future generations. As retired seniors we have more time to be civically and politically involved,
People over aged 65 vote at a higher rate than any other age group. They also volunteer at a high rate. There are an infinite number of needs in our community, country and throughout the world just waiting for us to get involved.
“Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.” – John Lennon
As you can see, there is a lot to do. It is all there waiting for us.
But no one can force or convince us to get involved. That is totally up to us. We can spend our time fretting about how much time we have left or we can spend our time doing fun, interesting and valuable things.
And when we do, what will keep us awake at night is not worrying about that we are getting older and that time is passing us by. Instead, we will lay awake thinking about tomorrow’s next adventure.