The Uncomfortable Truth About Aging That Nobody Wants to Face
This is my rant on how we accidentally became cruel to our future selves
You know what's messed up? People who are impatient with the elderly.
The sighs. The side-eyes. The barely disguised tone that says, Ugh, just hurry up.
Meanwhile, inside every slow-moving elderly body is a young person wondering what the hell happened to their knees.
That old guy taking forever to order his coffee?
He used to have 6 pack abs.
In his head, he's still that guy, who thought he'd never get old.
That 90 year old lady counting her change?
Men fought wars over dating her.
She danced until her feet hurt and thought she'd never need reading glasses or a daily pill container.
Now she’s counting coins not because she’s confused about math.
But because she’s trying to make her fixed income perform magic tricks.
That elderly man fumbling with his credit card at the grocery store?
He once fumbled with bra clasps.
And the perfect thing to say to make someone fall in love with him.
His hands, now shaky and spotted, once built cribs.
And changed tires.
And held his children's faces when they cried.
The woman with arthritic fingers that can't quite manage the chip reader?
She used to have hands steady enough to thread needles.
And sign mortgage papers.
And write love letters in actual cursive.
Basically, every elderly person you see is carrying an invisible sign that reads, "I was young once too."
They are not “them.”
They are you.
Just a few exits further down the road.
Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, some people forget…
The elderly did not emerge from the womb already old.
They had decades of laughter and running barefoot through summer grass.
They are not being slow just to spite you.
They're simply negotiating with their now slower body.
They’re not failing at being fast.
They're succeeding at being old, which is way harder than it looks.
And one day, if you’re very lucky, you’ll get to find out exactly how hard it is.
So show empathy and patience with an older person.
Help them to cross the street
Hold a door open for them
Speak slowly enough to be understood
And remember…
Growing old is a great honor.
It's basically winning at the lottery of not dying young.
That elderly person you rush past today is simply future you, waving hello from the other side of time.
So be kind to the elderly, because they were once the age you are now.
And if you are lucky, you will one day be the age they are now too.
Thoughts? Let me know below!
This essay is your gentle reminder to live a meaningful, beautiful life while you’re still here!
I wrote an entire book about how to accomplish this…
which is an Amazon #1 new release
If you’re ready to live more vividly, love more boldly, and stop postponing things that matter…. my book might just become your new favorite book!
Every 🧡 or restack, or comment you share on this essay…
is like handing me a coffee & saying “Keep going!”
So thank you, truly, for any encouragement you toss my way.
Plus I love morphing this into a 2-way conversation & getting to know you!
Karen, this is so true… and so lovely the way you’ve written it!
This touches my cranky, crispy heart in regard to my spouse with dementia. I’m going to hang a large photo of him and his upright bass back in his cool jazz musician and another of him & his horse.