The conversations were brought on by the fact that my 40th birthday was coming soon - & how much I was looking forward to that event & the stage of life that would come with it. (And, by the way, I'm 40 days into my 40th year, & so far, I'm loving the fact that I'm a man! I'm 40!)
A lot of our talks centered on the infatuation our society seems to have with YOUTH & being YOUNG... & the seeming inability to accept the fact that people age... & aging is seen as a bad thing, something to be ashamed of, avoided, &/or denied.
Bummer.
Part of what really drove it home for me was that a lot of my 'thinking time' happened on & near the Virginia Tech University campus - there were literally thousands of 18-25 year olds all over the place just arriving in Blacksburg for the start of the fall semester... In Walmart. Starbucks. Borders. The campus bookstore. Swarms of people. Checking each other out, visually measuring self against others, masking anxiety with volume... The pretty young things got the most attention & savored it.
In the midst of it, I felt strangely secure. Comfortable in my own skin. I pondered Chuck's words, & thought about what he'd said about the privileges & things gained as one ages...
...experience & wisdom to be shared. Perspective at having seen seasons of life, fad, & fashion come & go & come back again. The weight the words carry of one who has not only lived, but has lived well, without striving, through the tides, peaks, & valleys that life brings. The joy of watching one's children grow. Peace at being able to simply enjoy the moment.
The glory of the young is their strength; the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old. Proverbs 20:29 New Living Translation
Being 40 is great. I'm lovin' it.
Things I'm thinking about:
Hmmm.
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I was very happy to hear this week that only 10% of the population ends up in a nursing home... makes me dread getting old just a little bit less:)
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