As grandparents, we have the distinct privilege of learning about finding joy through our new creases and aches. Yes, there can be joy in the midst of the changes that make us a little less flexible and a little more wrinkly around our faces. It can be a challenge to deal with body parts that don’t work quite like they used to or rebel against us the day after some physical exertion. The mirror sometimes tells us a story we don’t appreciate first thing in the morning. BUT. The key to finding joy in our changes lies in remembering the life we’ve lived!
We have birthed and reared children who have grown into adults and given us the Grands we love so much.
We have explored the world through our travels.
We have worked and experienced careers that fulfilled our need for purpose.
We have participated in activities throughout our communities and helped others around us.
We’ve lived out our faith in front of our family and taught another generation to believe.
We’ve ran and played, worked, danced, and loved.
Our present creases and aches are a testament to life lived. Why not embrace them and allow them to be our badges of honor and courage? Life definitely comes with challenges but as we see them through and are marked by the process of living, we are changed on the inside. We tend to become more compassionate toward others, more forgiving of our family members, more patient with the young, and more accepting of our inner selves. We come to know who we are as a human being and what our deepest values and strengths are. We begin to reflect our best nature if we choose to age without anger over aging.
One of the things my husband and I have found to help us find our joy as an aging couple is to simply enjoy the comedy of it all. We laugh about the hangover with no party or tell each other, “Let’s not and say we did,” over activities that don’t hold quite the same enticement they once did. We’ve found the comedy and joy in being the generation sitting on the deck watching the younger ones go all in for a day at the lake or other activities we take in smaller doses these days. It’s all good. It’s okay.
There’s a joy to be found in all stages of life. If we choose to seek it, we will find it. I encourage you to take a new look at who you are with your creases and aches. Think through all the amazing experiences you’ve lived getting to today. Once you do, count those experiences as having carved out the new you. Embrace and enjoy that new person and respect who you are as a person of age with much to offer.
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