When Getting Older is Okay

When I was growing up, I couldn’t wait for my birthdays. First, I couldn’t wait to be a teenager at 13, not knowing that it would be the most awkward year of my life. Then I counted the years until I turned 16 and could get a car. Then I couldn’t wait until I was 18 and could graduate from high school. After that, 21 was the desired age to reach. My imagination ended there. I didn’t think I’d die young, but I never imagined I’d be in my 60s. How did I get this old?

Here in South Dakota, only those 65 and older are getting the COVID vaccine. That leaves me out. Hubby got his first shot last week. When they called him to say they had a spot for him, he asked if he could bring me, someone just two months short of the cutoff age. No, they said, I’d have to wait. So I started counting the days until I turn 65. I was excited about getting older.

Until this weekend.

The state announced that people with one or more underlying conditions could get a shot. That’s me! I don’t have to get another year older before asking for an appointment for a shot. I added my name to the waiting list. Now I’m not quite as anxious for my birthday as I used to be.

It’s funny how the number of my age gets bigger, but I don’t feel older. The inside of me hasn’t aged in years. The young me is alive and well inside this aging shell. When people look at only the outside me, they don’t really get a sense of what I am inside, a young girl who would love to do more if her aging body would let her.

It’s that way with everyone. Most elderly are youngsters trapped inside an stale, old shell. They’d love to do all the things they used to do when their bodies were younger. You have to look past what’s on the outside and look for what’s on the inside. Their years of experience brings wisdom they can share because they’ve seen and done a lot. Get to know your elders and find out who they really are inside.

The cycle of life is a miraculous thing to watch. We’re part of a waterwheel that the river of time turns. When we come up, we’re full of water, dripping and to the brim. As we live, we pour out our gifts and start our downward journey back to where we started. Enjoy the journey.

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. (Ecclesiastes 12:1)