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Thoughts on aging ... - 9/8/2008 5:06:52 PM
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Focusing
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I was reading an article over the weekend about aging. Specifically, how some cultures hold their elderly in high regard, appreciating their knowledge and wisdom and the tidbits about life that only the elderly can impart.
And so, I got to thinking, why do so many westerners feel that aging is a bad thing? Oh yeah, we can put a lot of blame on advertising that only shows the younger women, who don't have the pressures of life and families and money worries and careers weighing them down, stealing their free time to spend hours at the gym, beauty salon, vacationing at expensive salons - ha! the dream life ... or is it?
I for one felt that turning 40 was a really great thing! I have not met many women willing to say the same. But one of the biggest perks for me turning the big FOUR-O was the thought that kept running through my mind: I'm 40 now, I don't have to put up with any more of that "stuff", I can do my thing without having to worry about what others think. For me it was very freeing to turn 40! 
Sure, there are some disadvantages to getting older (the aches and pains for one), but for the most part, I have found that getting older has been a good thing!
What about you? What are the advantages you have found through the aging process? The good things that the younger women can look forward to?
_____________________________
There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven
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RE: Thoughts on aging ... - 9/8/2008 8:10:14 PM
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spitzu
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Well, I'm only 28, but I dread getting old. As you age, the more people you love die. Take my mom, for instance. She has lost both of her parents now and my dad probably isn't too far from that himself. I honestly dread that day. Sure, I'll see them again in heaven, but that doesn't mean I'm not terrified to lose them here on earth.
Plus, I know many elderly people that are sick, in pain, suffering, have started to go senile... that just sounds awful, you know?
I have a ton of respect for the elderly. I lost my granny last year, and she was one of my favorite people on earth. But that doesn't mean I look forward to being elderly myself. KWIM?
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<- Ahh, the sound of a real shutter. It's like music!
Buggy Again
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RE: Thoughts on aging ... - 9/8/2008 9:52:29 PM
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agapetos
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quote:
I for one felt that turning 40 was a really great thing! Oh me too... funny thing was, way back in my 20's I dreaded hitting 30 although I knew I wouldn't mind turning 40! I maintained I was in my mid-20's until the day before my 30th bday!
I had a friend who hated it when she hit 30 ~ she didn't care when she hit 40 because she was 'old already' and she'd learnt not to be as concerned about what people thought of her and her decisions as she had when she was 20.
_____________________________
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not using them in fruit salads!
My blog
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RE: Thoughts on aging ... - 9/8/2008 10:06:54 PM
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isaacsmom
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I'm just in my late 20s, but I don't dread getting older at all. I heard someone say the other day (some celebrity who is getting older) that she didn't mind being 68 because she gets better as she gets older. You learn things and you become wiser. I look at my mentors in my ladies' Bible study group and they are such awesome, wise ladies of God. I hope I'm sought after as a wise person like that when my children are raised! Also, I look at us now and I look at my in-laws. They were once in our position (one-income, mom at home with kids, etc.) but when the kids got older MIL went to work and they've planned well for their retirement, and now that it's just the two of them they are having the time of their lives travelling the world, enjoying grandchildren, etc. So I look forward to that season in our lives as well. Don't get me wrong, I'm completely enjoying being young. I just don't dread getting older.
However, I'm not oblivious to the downside that Crystal mentioned. I do feel sad when I think about my grandparents and parents not being around forever.  That's the bad part of life in this fallen world.
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<<< My littlest punkin'
*~*~*Rachel*~*~*
pirtlefarm.blogspot.com
Beware of posing as a profound person -- God became a baby. ~Oswald Chambers
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RE: Thoughts on aging ... - 9/8/2008 10:44:55 PM
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Kerryannism
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I too dread getting older. That will mean that I have less time to make a difference here on earth. I have so much respect for those older than I, not matter who they are, they have seen what I have yet to see. Even though one has been through the same situations, things are seen much differently through the eyes on someone who has had more experiences. It is so sad when I hear some say something disrespectful in regards to someones age or what they may be going through because of their age. I once heard a younger woman degrading another because she was older and going through life changes. So very mean-spirited.
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RE: Thoughts on aging ... - 9/8/2008 11:06:59 PM
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agapetos
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quote:
That will mean that I have less time to make a difference here on earth. Not necessarily so. The ultimate example is Jesus ~ He made far more of a difference because of, and after His death than He did when He lived (though He made quite a difference then too.
Even though we may not live a long time, our lives can make a huge impact on earth. Years back the parents of a little boy wrote to a consumer rights programme about their son ~ he urgently needed a transplant but doctors were afraid to ask (still are often) and grieving parents did not always realise this could be done. The programme highlighted and changed many aspects of organ donation because of that little boy.
We can never tell what seemingly small actions will lead to and we may never know that we made a difference.
_____________________________
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not using them in fruit salads!
My blog
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RE: Thoughts on aging ... - 9/9/2008 2:24:48 PM
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Auben
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My mother turned 40 when I was 18 and she was excited! She wanted to celebrate!!
From talking to her what I learned was that each decade of your life gets better. You become more yourself. You worry about others less. You really live more as you age and gain insight and experience.
She taught me to be excited about my first gray hair (last year) and my first wrinkle (ditto).
I was at a party at my SIL's house. Her inlaws were there. They all live in suburban Chicago. We were talking about dying hair and I mentioned I got my first gray last year and I was so excited. There was total silence at the table. Then my SIL's SIL leaned over and said, "I just can't tell if she's for real." Everyone laughed.
I'm proud to age. I love my life now so much more than I did when I was 25.
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: Thoughts on aging ... - 9/9/2008 2:29:04 PM
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Zhi
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My grandfather (us grandkids called him "Bubba") and I used to have a running joke with each other. He came to live with us when I was in junior high, so we would see him often.
We had a running joke between us. Usually, it would pop up when he had to get up out of a chair or something like that that was getting harder for him the older he got. He would turn to me and say "Don't ever get old, Heather." I would grin at him and say "Beats the alternative, Bubba..." and we would have a good chuckle.
We basically have 3 possibilities in life. We get older, Jesus comes back, or we die. While Jesus coming back would be the best alternative, that's going to happen when He decides it's time, so most of us are going to be stuck with either getting older or dying. I think I'll happily take getting older. ;)
My husband was delighted when he found my first gray hair. He's always had romantic ideals about "growing old together". hehehe
Besides, it's good to be able to look back each birthday and say "I've done pretty well "running the race" so far... let's see what I can manage this year."
When you have an ageless, painless eternity in the presence of God Himself to look forward to, getting older in this fallen world is just not a big deal. As the Skillet song says... I feel my skin's just a shell. Underneath is my reality. I breathe dimensions unknown, it conquers my mortality. I'm a beep, I'm a vapor, I'm just a blinking light... while my body decays, my soul does not. Death is just the beginning.
_____________________________
The optimist says the glass is half full. The pessimist says the glass is half empty. The engineer says the glass is twice as large as it needs to be.
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RE: Thoughts on aging ... - 9/9/2008 2:54:42 PM
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doinkdom
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I turned 50 last year and it was okay, not such a bad thing.
But this year, turning 51 seems "old" for some reason.
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RE: Thoughts on aging ... - 9/9/2008 3:24:18 PM
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Mrs.Wifey
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I think "old" is a relative term. The older I get, the younger my grandparents seem. I used to think that by the time I was 60 I would practically be dead, but DH's grandparents are in their late 70's/early80's and they seem young enough to me.
So no, I don't dread getting older.
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RE: Thoughts on aging ... - 9/9/2008 4:10:43 PM
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laughinggirl
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I'm not upset about getting older for vanity reasons. I honestly think my face is prettier now than it was when I was younger (can't say the same about my body, oh well!), and I'm far more confident and secure now than I was then.
The thought of aging makes me sad because I feel like I'll never have enough time with my husband. We didn't meet and marry until our 30's, and sometimes it feels like we are already running out of time, especially when it comes to having children. There are so many more things I want to experience with him, so many more days I want to live with him, and we got a late start on it all.
And that's in addition to what others have already said about losing loved ones.
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RE: Thoughts on aging ... - 9/9/2008 10:19:43 PM
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MrsTracy72
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I don't like getting older because I just love where I am in my life. I love being a mom and having young children. I love being at that inbetween age where people take me seriously, but don't treat me like I am old.
My mom once made a comment at a funeral and those words stayed with me. Someone came up to her at her Aunt's funeral and said that it was sad to see the family dying off, and my mom said "How do you think I feel, everytime one of them goes, that puts me closer to the front of the line."
Now I know that heaven is going to be great, but I still have so much to do and so many things to fix and correct that I can't afford to get old and die yet. I am trying so hard to put my life in order and I know that God knows my heart, but I still have alot to do before I get too old and forget my name.
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RE: Thoughts on aging ... - 9/10/2008 12:18:38 PM
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car2ner
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quote:
Besides, it's good to be able to look back each birthday and say "I've done pretty well "running the race" so far... let's see what I can manage this year."
I like this quote. BTW>50 is not so bad. I really liked 33, mentally and physically.
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http://www.car2ner.2ya.com
"May your days be long and your hardships few".
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RE: Thoughts on aging ... - 9/10/2008 7:49:19 PM
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NotDoneYet
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I'm 44 now...and I like it...I'm more "settled" inside my skin, less willing to suffer fools, less willing to compromise...
Not to mention, my 20's were full of babies, my 30's were horrendous, so, turning 40 was almost a relief.
NDY
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Remember, normal is just a setting on the dryer!
Ranting and raving: diaryofaravingmom.blogspot.com
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RE: Thoughts on aging ... - 9/11/2008 9:23:46 AM
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pumpkin
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oddly enough for me, so far my hardest birthday was 29. I felt like I was getting really old, and I was very unhappy. Part of that stems from the fact that I always thought that I would be married in my 20's, and well... I was 31 when I married. So, at 29 when I was no where near getting married, I was very sad that that dream was ending.
Currently I am 37. Right now my "goal" is to have at least 1 child before 40, but that's up to God. Just like when I married was up to God. I sure would like it to happen soon, but well... I don't have much control over it.
I would assume that if, for some reason, we are still childless when I turn 40, I will be sad. I'm not planning on it, just going based on my past experiences. =)
oh, and I totally and completely agree with Crystal. I hate to think that my loved ones are going to die, and it just seems a little more inevitable as we all get a little bit older...
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RE: Thoughts on aging ... - 9/11/2008 11:59:53 AM
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csl7037
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I really don't mind the numbers. My 29th year was so stressful, I was so glad to see it go! I don't mind the dates on the calendar. But I've been concerned lately that I don't seem to be aging well. I'm 37. I'm achy and really feel older - I think that's from my job. I'm a group fitness instuctor and, while that keeps me in shape in one sense, I've been trying to teach more classes lately (and still do my own workouts the way I want to), and it's just exhausting sometimes. My joints feel like an 87 year old I think sometimes!
But even just my skin. I really wish I knew better how to take care of myself.
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