The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. 
I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon 
seeing my reaction, she was immediately embarrassed, but I 
explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder 
it, and let her know.

Old Age, I decided, is a gift.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I 
have always wanted to be.  Oh, not my body!  I sometime despair 
over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging 
butt.  And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives 
in my mirror (who looks like my grandfather!), but I don't agonize 
over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my 
loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly.  As I've 
aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of  ;
myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for 
eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying 
that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante 
garde on my patio.  I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be 
extravagant.

 I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon;  
before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer 
until 4 AM and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60&70's, 
and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I 
will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a 
bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I 
choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.

They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful.  But there again, some of life 
is just as well forgotten. And I  eventually remember the 
important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken.   How can your 
heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child 
suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car?  
But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and 
compassion.  A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and 
will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning 
gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep 
grooves on my face.  So many have never laughed, and so many have 
died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less 
about what other people think.  I don't  question myself 
anymore.  I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I  like being old. It has set me 
free.  I like the person I have become.  I am not going to live 
forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time 
lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be.  
And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it...)