DO YOU LIKE GETTING OLDER?
I can still hit a golf ball but now I can laugh if it goes in the woods, a sand trap or the lake. Aging does not improve your score. What makes me happy is that I can still hit that golf ball.
Growing old has made me become kinder to myself and less critical of myself. I’ve become my own friend.
I have watched far too many dear friends leave this world far too soon. My own brother died at 55 before he understood the great freedom that comes with growing old.
It is no one else’s business if I choose to read, write or use the computer until 3AM, or sleep until noon? A nap is now mandatory and I hide the phones to get my rest.
I will dance or sing by myself to those wonderful tunes of the 40, 50, 60 & 70’s. If I wish to remember and weep over a lost loved one or a friend, I will.
Every summer I walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over my bulging body and will dive into the waves with reckless abandon, if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from family, friends or strangers. They better pray that they will get old, the alternative sucks.
I admit that I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some events of my life are just as well forgotten. Like an overfilled computer, I eventually remember the important things.
Over the years, my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break, when you lose a loved one or when a child suffers, or even when somebody’s beloved pet gets hit by a car?
Broken hearts are what give us strength, understanding and compassion. A heart never broken, is pristine, sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.
I am blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn from black to silver then gray and now white. I have my youthful laughs forever etched into the deep grooves on my face. Far too many have never laughed and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.
As you grow older, it is easier to be positive. You should care less about what other people think. I don’t question myself anymore. I’ve earned the right to be wrong.
So let me answer my titled question, “I like being old.” It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying too much about what will be.
I sincerely hope that everyone that reads this article has a few smiles and takes a minute to tell me if they enjoyed it.
My great friend, Wally Kittman, sent me this question that I have paraphrased and changed to reflect my personal views about growing old.
“Happy Birthday Wally” C Brewer June 21, 2014
A Conservative View 
Clyde, today’s missive exemplifies, through years, getting wiser not just older. Birthdays adding up, unfortunately, have not made most folks wiser … by default or on accident. Always enjoy your thoughts and emails. Here in lies the root of my appreciation: you permit me to read what I would otherwise have to experience to gain. You save me wasted “dumb” years. Keep writing please.
Jay, this response is what motivates me to share my life experiences, only if it is just one person, if they appreciate my efforts. I only wish my own family and some close friends would reply, especially when they disagree. My Australian friend, Baxter Henderson is my most loyal reader and we have opposing views on several subjects and learn from each other. God bless you and your beautiful family, we miss you.