I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life,
my family for less gray hair or a flatter belly.
As I`ve aged, I`ve become kinder to myself, and
less critical of myself. I`ve become my own friend.
I don`t chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for
not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko
that I didn`t need, but looks so avante garde on my patio.
I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon,
before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the
computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?
I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the
60`s and 70`s, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over
a lost love......I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is streched over a
bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon
if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.
They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some
of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventfually remember
the important things.

Sure, 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?
But broken hearts are what give us strength and
understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine
and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair
turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever
etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never
laughed, and so many have died before their hair would
turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive.
You care less about what other people think. I don`t question
myself anymore. I`ve even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your 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 about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every
single day (If I feel like it).

May you always have a rainbow of smiles on your face
and in your heart forever and ever !

Thanks for your friendship, maybe we`ll meet again !


Scribble