surviving aging with grace

Aging is not a laughing matter. Don't put too much credence in the romance of retirement. Some of us are better at it than others. I retired three times, and was not really ready the third time. I loved what I did (teaching), and so it was fun as well as a way to earn a living.

What I have learned about aging is that you better have a sense of humor, and if you have never dealt well with change, this might be the time to work on it. It is developmental. It is sneaky. It is beweildering in that one day you can't seem to do something that you did the day before such as getting up from a kneeling position without having to put a hand out to give yourself a push.

There are good things about it. You are more inclined to say what you think. You realize you are not going to be around forever and do what you can to make peace with your world. You learn to try to stay in the present, to be aware of what is good about a day rather than how much your back hurts, or what is going on with your investments.

My new book is about my own journey into aging with a few detours back to when I was young in age, but not necessarily in spirit. Today my spirit feels young, and I have been scattering cosmos and queen anne's lace seeds where they fall. Now if I can remember that I did so and not plant them again in the same place!