5 Great Things...

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About Getting Older

Face it - aching knees, embarrassing trips down the Depends aisle in the grocery store and being unable to read a restaurant menu without a magnifying glass are no fun. Getting older can certainly be an adventure in itself. But, rather than dwell on the downside, how about looking at some of the things that make life better now than it was when you were young?

Here are five advantages of getting older that you may not have thought of before:

You Make Lots of New Friends

Just think – you never would have met that guy who makes birdhouses if you had not been sitting with him in the doctor's office waiting room for an hour. You would never have heard that the lab technician who takes your blood every month has a daughter who is getting her third divorce. And, don't forget all of the people at the senior citizen center and church suppers. Your horizons have really expanded since you got older.

You're Still a Baby

No matter how old you are, there is always someone who, upon learning your age, will say, “Oh, you're still a baby.” Seek those people out.

You Have Lots of Ready-Made Excuses

Everyone expects you to have trouble remembering things and to have lost your hearing - whether you have or not.

Selective hearing is probably THE greatest benefit of aging. Maybe you can still hear perfectly, but the older you get, the more you can pretend not to have heard something. Didn't take the garbage out? Sorry, didn't hear you ask. Didn't fix the garage door? Oops, couldn't hear you.

Memory loss is another great excuse. If it's too late to pretend you didn't hear something, you can simply say that you forgot. It's expected that someone of your advanced years will have trouble remembering. You can really play this one up. Try walking around the house muttering, “Where did I leave my keys?” Of course, you know very well where the keys are but no one else knows that you know.

Other People Can Take Care of You For a Change

Remember those years of taking care of crying babies, dressing toddler's wounds, feeding picky children and driving the kids to soccer practice and piano lessons? Now, it's your turn! Those same kids should now take care of you. They can mow your lawn, paint your house, fix your roof and even bring you food. It's about time, right?

Sweet Freedom

At your age, you have the freedom to do practically anything you want. No one will blame you for anything you do. If you want to wade in the fountain at city square, go for it. Enjoy yourself. What do you have to lose? Feel like flirting with the pool guy? Go ahead. People will smile, roll their eyes, shake their heads and secretly wish you would act your age. They don't realize that's exactly what you are doing!

It's time to celebrate your age and all the benefits that go with it. Make the most of your golden years while you still can. It's now or never.

by Kristine Schwartzman