I started thinking that it took 55 years for my body to get to this stage. And I would like to point out that old is not ugly. All of us have an inner and outer beauty that is waiting to be discovered. But it takes time. It comes from weathering the storms of life. It comes from accepting the natural cycle of growth and in understanding that in order to find beauty at any age a person needs to celebrate and accept the lines, blemishes and all of the other marks that time and living has left behind.
This morning I spent a little extra time looking at my face in the mirror. I was reminded that I have a scar just above my chin that I got playing baseball with my friends when I was eleven. My nose has this little bump in the bridge that I got from a broken nose courtesy of my oldest son when he was just two years old. I have some age spots and few wrinkles around my eyes just like my dad used to have. All of these things blended in time to create who I am today. All of them memories of the journey that I've been on over the last 55 years.
Contemplating my life's journey, I am constantly reminded that we are all just visitors here on this planet and that our bodies as well as the material world around us are in the process of returning to the dust from which God created us. For me, old is not a stage in life but rather a culmination of life events that produced the person that I am today. Old is a mindset. It is about discovering and appreciating the beauty and value of a life well lived.
Be Well.
Bill
