Friday, July 11, 2025

No Time to Get Old: Essay

 

No Time to Get Old: Essay

I read online that growing old becomes clear to you at certain age.  “I think it’s after the age of 70 you realize – you begin to actually be convinced – you’re growing older,” - said Leonard Cohen. I am seventy-one, soon to be 72, and I can get related to this quot. I think that in my mind, I am not getting any older. However, my body is. Like a used car, it needs turnups, regular exercises reinforce movement limitation of main source of aches and pains.

Well, after you are born, you get older every year, celebrating birthdays. This is a biological fact called human growth and development.

Today, we often say that old is a new young. I think that seventy can be a new sixty. What is important is never lose the light of fire and keep the flame burning of whatever you do. You retired from work, but not from life. People who have loved ones to care for are blessed. Any leisure pursuit that requires someone’s passion and creativity, getting up each day, and “not letting the old man in” (Eastwood, n.d.) all above is right. I do not have time to get old. I know that I am Fall.

I will share with you my philosophy on how I see life. I divided life existence into four categories borrowed from nature seasons, where spring is childhood and growth, summer represents adulthood, fall has experience and harvest to live out of wisdom and confidence. As for the cozy winter season, it is the last chapter in life to stay on the winter cold days inside and wait for the God’s call. Every season is beautiful like life itself, and the experience of all the smiles and laughter, the sun and the moon. After every dark night, sunlight always comes. It is the universe’s law of order. I am fall, colorful and bright. I am caring behind my shoulder’s years in abundance, the harvest of my life. I know what I want. I want to live and breathe. I want to tell stories to people who listen and read. I have confidence to risk my heart.

No matter what shapes our attitudes and beliefs about getting older, there are certain realities recognized by Gerontology and common sense that late seventies and beyond are the last chapter in life. How we face them is a reality that is different for each person.

We are here for a limited time, and let’s make the best of it. Time left is inevitable.

Tomshinsky@2025

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