Breaking Down Ageism and Age Denial, One Old Lady at a Time
<p>Istarted cultivating <a href="https://medium.com/illumination-curated/when-are-you-old-enough-to-understand-ageism-c8181165b48" rel="noopener">relationships with “good” old ladies</a> when I was only 46. My first old lady, Henrietta, was 75.</p>
<p>I didn’t call her my old lady. I didn’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…I started <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’t stop aging —except by dying. 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’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 <em>and</em> pay attention to what is going on <em>inside</em> me.</p>
<p>Once a day, I catch a glimpse of my wise inner old lady <a href="https://medium.com/crows-feet/youve-got-to-be-kidding-wrinkles-as-a-reward-5538e346a747" rel="noopener">in the mirror</a>: “You damned well better embrace aging,” she says, “because it <em>is</em> happening — with or without your approval!”</p>
<p>I can’t — and don’t want to — 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>