Grow old gracefully

I was in Walmart with my 9 year old grandson, he informed me everyone thinks I am his Mom. They don’t believe I’m his Nana.

When my hair is thin and silvered,
And my time of toil is through;
When I’ve many years behind me,
And ahead of me a few;
I shall want to sit, I reckon,
Sort of dreaming in the sun;
And recall the roads I’ve traveled
And the many things I’ve done.

I hope there’ll be no picture
That I’ll hate to look upon;
When the time to paint it better
Or to wipe it out, is gone.

I hope there’ll be no vision
Of a hasty word I’ve said
That has left a trail of sorrow,
Like a whip welt sore and red.

And I hope my old age dreaming
Will bring back no bitter scene
Of a time when I was selfish,
Or a time when I was mean.

When I’m getting old and feeble,
And I’m far along life’s way,
I don’t want to sit regretting
Any bygone yesterday.

I am painting now the picture
That I’ll want someday to see;
I am filling in a canvas
That will soon come back to me.

Though nothing great is on it,
And though nothing there is fine,
I shall want to look it over
When I’m old, and call it mine.

So I do not dare to leave it
While the paint is warm and wet,
With a single thing upon it
That I later will regret.

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

I don’t ever want to be a burden to my family.

In a way, everyone at the gym is ‘delaying the decay’ as a friend of mine once said, and you see this in a thousand ways with a simple visit to the gym. Usually I run outside, but the cold has forced me indoors and here you get to see the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Regardless, it reminds me not to judge others, nor yourself, too harshly. We are all fighting the good fight by heading into move our bodies.

A friend of mine told me that when he turned 40, he realized he thought a lot differently about the world around him. Somehow I think this is already happening to me; when I stand in line for coffee or at the movies, I notice the differences between those younger and older than myself.

However, more than anything else, the thing that makes me feel like I’m younger, and growing older more gracefully, is working out daily. It makes me feel alive and the differences are subtle, just like aging!