Aging gracefully is a real term, isn’t it?  I am not sure that it is something for me to aspire to, knowing what I do about myself.  But then, there may be hope for me, because my mother seems to do it effortlessly. She is amazing.  At almost 92 years old, she hasn’t missed a beat in her song of life. She has slowed down physically, but really takes good care of herself and heeds her doctors, who all love her. Mentally, she is as sharp as a tack.  Her memory is better than mine, (who is 25 years younger) and she has a terrific sense of humor. In spite of that, she is gracious and laughs at all my jokes anyway. She has it down! Aging gracefully, that is.

I wonder if there is hope for me.  I found a great quote by Jules Renard.  It says, “It’s not how old you are, it’s how you are old.”  I really like that. I read a lot of quotes and I can’t believe how horrible most of the them were.  I think I should just put a picture of my Mom next to the term. That’s about as good as it can get.

So what does it mean for most of us?  I don’t think just one definition will do.  I guess the best way to look at it, may well be to see the aging process through your own individual lens.  Even if one becomes less cognizant of their surrounding, aging can still be graceful.

Every person is a unique creation.  Each one of us possesses something that is distinctive and totally our own.  Maybe, growing old is more about growing than getting older. Everyone grows older, but not everyone grows as they get old.  That seems to be just another way of saying what Mr. Renard wrote.

When it comes right down to it, it really is a matter of opinion.  Most of us have plenty of those. Maybe the key is to write one’s own quote about it and then see what happens as time passes. Either we will live up to our own expectations, or say to heck with it, and just grow old.