Aging is becoming more of who you are

Next week I will have lived 82 years. What I've learned is getting older is not better or worse than being younger, it is simply different. In many ways, life now seems fuller, richer, and more honest.

I've discovered the aging process happens gradually, and I've slowly gotten accustomed to being older. I've also discovered if I have people in my life I enjoy, stay curious and open to learning new things, if I take care of myself physically and mentally and stay involved in something that makes me feel useful — a job, a volunteer, baking cookies for neighbors, or reading with a neighborhood child — I don't pay as much attention to the changes that are happening.

It also helps if I do regular upkeep. For instance, I have a new knee cap, a reconstructed heel, a repaired Achilles tendon and most of my spine has been fused. I wear glasses to read and hearing aids to hear. I view these repairs as necessary as remodeling a home as it ages, and it keeps me in good enough shape to stay involved in living.

When I don't like the wrinkles I see in the mirror, I simply remove my glasses. The lines soften immediately, and I'm finally aware there is not another living soul in the world that cares if I have wrinkles. My hair is now white and I feel fortunate to have lived long enough for this to happen.

I am keenly aware impermanence is the truth of life, and I understand the importance of living in the present moment.

The surprise is, I thought by this time, self-improvement would have been completed, but instead I occasionally discover I have more growing to do.

Aging for me is about coming home to myself, not being someone different, but being more of who I am — no pretending.