{"id":338,"date":"2007-09-17T15:26:00","date_gmt":"2007-09-17T15:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2007\/09\/aging-with-joy.html"},"modified":"2007-09-17T15:26:00","modified_gmt":"2007-09-17T15:26:00","slug":"aging-with-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2007\/09\/aging-with-joy.html","title":{"rendered":"Aging with Joy!"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Wednesday is my birthday. I\u2019ve been asked if that bothers me. Bothers me!? Heck no! The only thing that bothers me is that some folks consider having a birthday is a source of stress<\/span>. But I know it is for many people. It used to be a concern for people who crossed the 40 line, but now I hear it from people much younger than that. In our botox+ world, everyone is chasing youth. <\/p>\n

You can have work done to change your appearance but you can\u2019t change your age<\/span>. You can lie about it. Or deny it. But you still know how old you are. Why let it eat you up or bring you down? I\u2019ve accepted that I\u2019m still me, no matter what age I am. And if folks judge me for being that age, then they don\u2019t really know me at all. <\/p>\n

As the percentage of older Americans increases, we\u2019ve become a society that worships youth. Who you are becomes much less relevant than how old you are, or look. Unless YOU make yourself relevant, no matter what your age<\/span>. I\u2019ve learned to value who I am. I do take good care of me so my skin is in good shape. I run 3-5 days in Central Park, and do weight training, to maintain my physical fitness. But looking younger is secondary to being as healthy and fit as I can be\u2014for me! <\/p>\n

In honor of the birthday I\u2019ll be celebrating with gusto, I\u2019ll post every day about getting older. Birthdays aren\u2019t another step closer to doom and gloom. You\u2019re still the same person you were right before it.<\/span> Maybe a little wiser if you\u2019re lucky. So relax and celebrate you.<\/p>\n

Every year I celebrate ME on September 19th. And I celebrate accepting ME at any age. Of course it would be nice to freeze time so I could have the energy of my teens and less of the little aches and pains that happen as you get older. But I accept that I can\u2019t and live from there! Birthdays aren\u2019t a slow death sentence. They\u2019re a celebration!<\/span><\/p>\n

So this Wednesday I\u2019ll be at the Telephone Bar in NYC where I go every year to celebrate my self-acceptance. Friend with good energy, who I care about, join me. I look forward to it with joy, not dread. Birthdays are so much fun if you allow them to be. I call the shots, use it as an excuse for getting my way, ? and to indulge myself. Stay tuned for more incentives to age with joy!<\/p>\n


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Wednesday is my birthday. I\u2019ve been asked if that bothers me. Bothers me!? Heck no! The only thing that bothers me is that some folks consider having a birthday is a source of stress. But I know it is for many people. 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