Growing Older
by Steph Beth Nickel
I have reached the age that the Canadian government classifies as “a senior.”
Why did this trip me up for the briefest of moments? Is it because I subscribe to the apparent worldview that “you can’t be young, thin, or rich enough”? I don’t.
Is it solely because I want to “finish well” and leave a God-honouring legacy? While that’s a big part of it, it wouldn’t be honest to say that was the only reason.
I truly love this stage of life. I have more time with my hubby now that he’s retired. He left his “temporary job” after more that forty years, nine days after his 70th birthday. We are completing several long-needed renovations to our century home and will take some time to enjoy it before moving west to be close to family, Lord willing. Because of God’s grace, I have family and friends who love me and enjoy spending time with me. The list could go on and on.
Still, there are so many perspectives on aging, and I want to set a good example for others, whether they are in their fall or winter years or still in the spring or summer of their lives. But it’s a matter of finding the balance between assumptions, reality, and eternal matters.
Do we have to accept the fact that our health is going to rapidly decline?
While it’s unlikely that we will have the physical acumen that we had in our 20s, 30s, 40s, and even 50s, it isn’t inevitable that there’s nothing we can do about it. Eating well, staying active, getting adequate rest, continuing to learn new things, and participating in a supportive social community go a long way in maintaining our physical, emotional, and intellectual health.
Do we have to buy into the anti-aging industry?
What a loaded term, anti-aging! Even the term makes aging the enemy. Whether or not you agree with the premise, Dove was onto something when they brought out their line of “pro-aging” products. I don’t know enough about the company to know if it was truly anything more than a marketing approach. Still, if we viewed aging with a positive attitude and encouraged others to do the same, I believe we would make a more positive impact on those around us—whether our nighttime routine includes 30 minutes of skincare or less than five minutes.
Do we have to resign ourselves to being confounded by technology?
It’s true that technology is constantly changing, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn enough to at least be “in the loop.” There are plenty of seniors who successfully use cell phones and computers. There are even several who do so “like a boss.” And when it comes to the things we want to learn about tech, what better way than to ask a young person to show us the ropes? We just may learn something new, and they may learn how to effectively distill what they seem to know instinctively and patiently share it with another person.
Do we have to cringe when others refer to us as old and assume they mean this as a negative?
This is the crux of the matter for many of us. Their attitude toward aging, whether actual or merely something we assume, doesn’t have to shape ours. If we embrace the positives of getting older (and there are many), we may be influential in changing another’s perspective—and maybe even our own. And while it may stir up anxiety, resentment, or some other unpleasant emotion when someone makes a joke about Boomers, we can deliberately refocus and give thanks that because we’re still drawing breath, we still have purpose.
Do we have only two options: buy into the negative press about getting older or become resentful and rebellious?
We may vacillate between the two, but there are other options. Here are just a few of them: 1) we can keep a thankfulness journal specifically about the things we enjoy about aging, 2) we can get involved in a social group in whatever capacity corresponds with our interests and abilities, and/or 3) we can choose one healthy habit to pursue (it may be more achievable than we imagined).
And my new government-assigned category? Well, I have received my first OAS and CPP cheques. So, there’s that. <grin>
As an editor, Steph Beth Nickel has the honour of coming alongside writers to help them polish their work. As the coauthor of Paralympian Deb Willows’s memoirs, Steph has been blessed to work with this amazing woman. And as a future self-published author, with the Lord’s help, Steph has taken brave steps toward publication.
If you would like more information about her services, you can contact her at stephbethnickelediting@gmail.com.
You’re invited to visit her website: http://stephbethnickeleditor.com/.
You can join her Editing Tips Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/418423519384351.