When I was young I thought getting older was the worst thing in the world. Watching my great-grandparents, I thought getting older seemed to be about slowly losing everything – eyesight and hearing, mobility and coordination, income and possessions, health and memory – until there was nothing left to lose but life itself. How depressing!
I was afraid of getting older, but the older I get the less scary it seems. I watched my grandma age gracefully, without losing any of her vivacious energy until she was into her nineties (I sure hope I inherited her genes!) and realized getting older doesn’t have to mean giving up on life
My parents are a great example; they’re in their late sixties and haven’t slowed down or given up any of the things that they love. My dad teaches for the University of Phoenix and owns a clock repair business, despite being officially retired. My mom is also retired but goes to quilting every week and creates gorgeous and award-winning quilts for family and friends.
I used to think getting older was watching your life slowly slip away, but now I think it’s about making the most of your life at every age. It means gaining the wisdom, knowledge, experience, and respect that only comes with time. Getting older is also about helping others live the fullest life possible and reaching their dreams – at any age.
So maybe I’ve got some grey hair…That’s what hair dye is for. You didn’t think I was a natural redhead, did you? And maybe I’ll need bifocals next year…What a great excuse to get a new pair of glasses. Maybe I’m getting older…So what?
Getting older means I get to watch my children become adults and parents to their own children. I get to celebrate 25 years of being married to the most wonderful man in the world next month. I enjoy the changes in Teacher as he gets older like the eye crinkles that curl my toes and look forward to the rest of our lives together. Getting older means having more time to see and do more than when we were young. It’s time to make more mistakes and experience more successes.
It’s not just living longer, it’s living a more full life.
Have you thought about getting older? Whether you’ve thought about it a lot or not at all, you should check out GetOld.com. It’s a fun, interactive website dedicated to the idea of getting older. You start by choosing an emotion that describes how you feel about getting older – optimistic, angry, prepared, or uneasy – then either share your thoughts by submitting a story, photo or video, or explore other people’s thoughts and experiences through their stories, photos and videos. There’s a wide range of ages; it’s not just “old people” posting there. I enjoyed reading other people’s point of inspired by many of the comments and videos I saw.
Now, how about that sweepstakes?
Three lucky people will win a $500 SpaFinder gift card! To enter for a chance to win, simply leave a comment below sharing your thoughts about getting old.
That’s all there is to it!
Please note: the winners will be chosen from a pool of comments contributed by all participating bloggers. For your convenience, here are highlights from the Official Rules for the Sweepstakes.
Please note: by submitting an entry you are agreeing to the full Official Rules, available here.
No duplicate comments.
Please do not mention or imply any pharmaceutical products in your posts. Posts that mention or imply a pharmaceutical product will be subject to removal.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt at the bottom of this post.*
b) Read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
*Note: if you want to comment but either (i) are not eligible or (ii) do not want to enter the giveaway, please include something similar to the following statement in your comment: “I do not wish to enter the sweepstakes.”
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Medical professionals who are licensed (or are otherwise authorized) to prescribe medications are not eligible to enter. While BlogHer encourages you to share your thoughts and experiences about getting older, comments discussing medical conditions and/or medical products are not permitted, may be deleted, and are invalid entries.
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
This sweepstakes runs from 7/30 to 8/31.
Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Get Old page to find out more about the Get Old platform and read how other bloggers feel about aging!
I really enjoy reading your post. 🙂 Congratulations on your 25th wedding anniversary. 🙂 Thanks for sharing so many positive things about getting old. For me (as I became a mother at a rather old age), I would love to see my kids become adults, have their family and have their own kids. Hope I can enjoy being a Grandma someday.
My mother was 40 when she had me so ‘old’ is at least 40 years more than me. So I won’t be old for a long time even though I’m 64 this year. I keep active with swimming and singing and volunteering.
Thanks for the contest.
It seems like the older people get, the wiser they often are. I am looking forward to retiring and having more time to craft, garden, and travel. Hopefully my health will continue to be good so that I can do all those things!
I want to see my kids grow up and get married some day, getting old isn’t all bad
I look forward to retirement and traveling in my “old age”
31 is already too old for me, but with age comes freedom to say whatever you want and get away with it!
I hope for the best and realize that I cannot sit around dwelling on growing old. I also seek inspiration from older people who are doing well.
I am all that I am..and thats okay
I feel very uneasy about growing older!
It makes me feel a little apprehensive.
Getting old is all in your head – and knees, hips and all the other joints that ache when I do too much. 🙂
Seriously, I have 2 worries about getting old – not being able to physically take care of myself and not having enough money to take care of the bills.
as long as im getting older means im still living, so that to me is a “good thing”
Thanks for a super giveaway!
So long as I can still walk and talk, the alternative to grow old is far worse than putting up with a few aches, pains and joints that don’t work…oh, an gray hair, wrinkles and liver spots.
Jean,
Good point! I try to remember this when I get down on myself for gaining a few extra pounds or when I find a new wrinkle. Getting older is always better than the alternative. 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
~Amy Sue