Breaking Down Ageism and Age Denial, One Old Lady at a Time

<p>Istarted cultivating&nbsp;<a href="https://medium.com/illumination-curated/when-are-you-old-enough-to-understand-ageism-c8181165b48" rel="noopener">relationships with &ldquo;good&rdquo; old ladies</a>&nbsp;when I was only 46. My first old lady, Henrietta, was 75.</p> <p>I didn&rsquo;t call her my old lady. I didn&rsquo;t realize I would go on to amass a group of them. Nor did I truly understand how important my old ladies were to me until&hellip;I started&nbsp;<a href="https://medium.com/crows-feet/shock-and-awe-i-survived-long-enough-to-become-someone-elses-old-lady-60ec9e29b8cf" rel="noopener">becoming one</a>.</p> <p>Thinking of myself as an old lady was sobering and scary. No joke. What was in store for me?</p> <p>I knew that I couldn&rsquo;t stop aging &mdash;except by dying.&nbsp;A few close friends already had. No dying for me if I can help it. I still have energy, ideas, and more surprises ahead of me.</p> <p>I can&rsquo;t control the march of time but I can take care of myself: eat right, exercise, socialize. I can stay curious about and engaged in the events swirling around me&nbsp;<em>and</em>&nbsp;pay attention to what is going on&nbsp;<em>inside</em>&nbsp;me.</p> <p>Once a day, I catch a glimpse of my wise inner old lady&nbsp;<a href="https://medium.com/crows-feet/youve-got-to-be-kidding-wrinkles-as-a-reward-5538e346a747" rel="noopener">in the mirror</a>: &ldquo;You damned well better embrace aging,&rdquo; she says, &ldquo;because it&nbsp;<em>is</em>&nbsp;happening &mdash; with or without your approval!&rdquo;</p> <p>I can&rsquo;t &mdash; and don&rsquo;t want to &mdash; stop time. But I can look to my old ladies for information and inspiration.</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/illumination/breaking-down-ageism-and-age-denial-one-old-lady-at-a-time-824a57d98758">Click Here</a></p>
Tags: Ageism Denial