Gratitude

Boons of Old Age

“The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been.”

Madeleine L'Engle

Let me just say that being “down in the back” will make you feel your age. There's nothing quite like not being able to sit up, turn, or stand without excruciating pain to let you know that life is a tenuous thing. I've been sleeping on the sofa because it has more grabbing spots for pulling oneself up, or over, and is closer to the floor if you miss your landing. I've been plunged into the world of oldness, and I'm not at all well with it. I dreamed last night that I was at a huge party at a very lavish home—a party like Gatsby might throw, with every sort of delicious food and drink and hundreds of gaudy people in costumes. Instead of partying, I was busy blessing people out—calling them ugly names—telling them they didn't have the brains God gave a goose! Yep, being sick makes me mean as a snake. Y'all pray for my poor care-givers.

Aging is a dangerous thing in our culture, especially for women. We don't appreciate an older woman in the same way we appreciate an older man, whom we see as being wise and accomplished. His wrinkles make him distinguished, not ugly. A woman acquires those same wrinkles with time, loses all the monikers for beauty, but what she gains is self-confidence. We see gray hair on a man almost as a silver crown—we say, “He's earned it!” On a woman, it's just hair devoid of color. But along with gaining that gray hair, a woman loses her inhibition about speaking truth to power, her language becomes less guarded, more colorful and honest. The body ages, but the spirit grows more lighthearted and youthful as her fear of authority figures falls away. In our culture, a woman with no fear of authority figures is a dangerous thing.

One of the boons of aging is beginning to understand that all things in this human sphere are temporary and truly are not worth the importance we give them. This too shall pass—this tyrant, this bully, this saber rattling, narcissistic baiting and childish competition between insecure human beings is temporary. We've seen it before, we will undoubtedly see it again, but it passes, and they pass. And the world goes on. Our spirits are indomitable, strong, unbent. Only the spirit continues, so all is well. Let us continue to help one another through this rough time, and ignore the ignorant games of power mongers. This old woman is fed up---I'll bet some of you, both men and women, are too.

                                                                     In the Spirit,

                                                                         Jane