As a society we often value youth over aging, but it’s common wisdom that some things, like wine and cheese, tend to get better with age.
For many people, getting older does come with new challenges, but embracing the positives, building on past experience and enjoying the fruits of your labours brings many a joyful moment. Here are just some of those reasons why getting older can be really quite wonderful:
Happiness. In your younger years there’s lots more to worry about: school, raising children, financial issues, career planning etc.
It’s not that our retirement years are always smooth sailing, it’s just that the things that seemed to take up time (and cause sleepless nights) fade away in many cases.
Being comfortable in your own skin. The sense of self-understanding that comes with age can be a blessing and a lot more freeing. There’s no need to impress others and our experience and toolboxes help for confident decision-making.
Memory. Believe it or not, some parts of our memory actually improve the older you get. Things like semantic memory (which includes your knowledge of experiences, figures, facts and the world around you) usually remain.
Better organized. A combination of your life experience and a sense of place can help you set up useful systems to help you manage more easily. Research has also shown that older adults have the ability to weigh decisions based on their knowledge and the facts. They’re less impulsive, more emotionally stable and tend to make better decisions than their younger counterparts.
Wisdom. Older individuals are often more able to put themselves in someone else’s shoes. It means a person has learned to accept and understand things and is more able to drum up the courage to appropriately face challenges.
So, age away with a smile as you enjoy life and gain even more experience and life skills and take pleasure in the fact that best tunes are played on the oldest fiddle.
