A friend was posting about how she had a falling out with an acquaintance over 30 for claiming she’s “still 29.” My friend was trying to point out to this person that this attitude toward aging is very harmful to ourselves as well as to others.
It’s especially harmful when a person who has set themself up in a position of influence says this. This person is a kind of spiritual teacher or coach.
Personally I love love love being 60!!! What a fun milestone. I started celebrating when I was 59.
I long ago embraced cronehood, and I frequently refer to myself as old and a senior citizen. To me it’s a great honor. I hope to have the privilege of getting many many years older.
BTW speaking of aging, last year I had to have cataract surgery in one eye.
Also speaking of aging, one of my knees is not doing so great. I attribute it to an overuse injury from an eating disorder which I had from teenhood into my early 30s, and one of the aspects of the disorder was overexercising.
Still loving getting older!!! I have so much more love and respect for my body now than I have ever had in my entire life.
My friend also shared a great article (linked below). It makes a lot of really good points. One of which is that we don’t necessarily become less mentally capable as we get older.
I have noticed the phenomenon of growing more creative as I get older. It’s super cool and fun hanging out in my brain.
And: The depression and anxiety that dominated my life when I was younger I have now become more easy to navigate and manage. As I have added more tools to the toolkit.
Also, I have noticed that I don’t have to give up my manual labor occupations; I just need to work more intelligently and mindfully, and sometimes a bit more slowly, to avoid injury.
In the words of my friend, regarding aging: “Recognize ageism for the insidious tool of patriarchy and capitalism that it is. Every time someone over 30 claims they’re ‘still 29’, you lose a little more integrity with yourself and give more ammunition to ageism.”
Further exploration:
• “Ageism is one of the last socially acceptable prejudices. Psychologists are working to change that” (Kirsten Weir; APA magazine online).