Benefits of Aging

I am going to choose to look at my most recent birthday in a positive light.  Yes, I am a year older....there must be something good about being older.  More gray hair to cover, more wrinkles to spread anti-wrinkle cream on, a few more aches and pains to deal with, a day closer to the end?  Hmmm, not such positive stuff.  I need to be a little more creative here to come up with the positives.  OK, "it beats the alternative" as TJ would say!  So getting older is not that bad.  I could also quote my sister and say, " You are never going to be as young as you are today, so enjoy it while you can!"  I'll buy that!  Then today it hit me!  A few good things about aging!

As we enjoyed a beautiful day at the new lake house of some very good friends, I looked out and took in the scenery and thought, "None of our friends had houses like this when we were younger!".  Benefit of aging...upgrade in places to hang out.

A view that makes you forget  you are only an hour away from Houston!

A very nice place to spend the day!

As I sat there enjoying the breeze I thought of a few other good things about aging.  We have known these friends since high school and went to college together.  They got married young, like we did...and we have fun sharing many of our family stories.  The times we were at our wits end while raising our children as well as the good times. We made it through the hard candy times and are young enough now to enjoy the fruits of our labors.  Our children are grown...and gone, leading productive lives of their own.  As much fun/work as it was when they were young, I really enjoy my adult children!  Benefit of aging!

On Sunday there were two First Communions at mass.  The parents looked so young....and excited and happy for their children.  I don't think I could have appreciated their feelings if I had not experienced the same thing myself.  I could appreciate their happiness but not truly know what it felt like if we had not gone through it ourselves.  There are a lot of life experiences that you only empathize with after experiencing them yourself.  Childbirth, child rearing, death in a family, relocating to another city or country, losing a job...  just to name a few.  The older you are and the more you live, the more you can relate to others in the same situation.  Perspective is a benefit of aging. 

I also think of a quote from the character Kathy Bates played on Fried Green Tomatoes.  "Face it, girls. I'm older and I have more insurance." — , to the women whose car she's just slammed into — repeatedly — after they stole her parking space and said "Face it, lady. We're younger and faster,".  There is something to be said for being older and not giving a flip about some things! 

So even though I may be a year older, there are some benefits to aging!