Yes, aging is real. You are aging, but you are still who you are, and always have been. Aging bodies happen to every single living being, even the those who feel they are going to be immortal. And why hide our aging appearances, as so many persist in doing at great pain and expense? As long as we are groomed and tidy, all is well. Our brains age too. We often make jokes about forgetting, such as "I must be having a 'senior's moment' ". No. You are having a moment. Period. Everyone forgets: young and old. Memory overload might be happening? Your brain is handling a large backlog as you age, and it might take a bit longer for you to recall what you are looking for to pop into your head. But no need to be frustrated. What does it matter if you aren't as sharp as a tack? Don't apologise. It is what it is. You are what you are. I love to see people of older ages, not hiding their flabby arms or silver hair colour or their lovely facial lines or their varicose veins or their layers of fat that nature put there to protect them.Why not focus on what makes a person look clean and wholesome at any age? Find ways to feel attractive, as you've always done. I don't agree with Dylan's "rage, rage, rage into the dying of the light" because there is no call for bitterness or anger about aging. It happens. It's natural. And sure, at times, it's unpleasant or painful or challenging. That's what is natural for most of us and we are in good company. Sometimes we must face the challenges alone, but we are not alone in what we might seem to be suffering. The aches and pains and restrictions. As someone famous said, "getting old isn't for sissies". How right that is! To live a life as long as we have, with all of its events and experiences, we should be grateful and pleased to be where we are. There is nothing to hide or feel ashamed about in the body changes that take place during aging. Our bodies have been working for a very long time. A giving-up attitude is the worst possible approach. Nor do you benefit from raging. There are better solutions. Using addictive or habit forming medications or substances such as alcohol, might make one feel that all's well for a short time, but these choices only make things worse. Find a way that is not going to turn you into a dull minded human who thinks he/she is happy. Being cranky and grumpy or constantly complaining and whining about your physical challenges doesn't work either. Being demanding of family and friends is even worse because, while they make it look like they respond, they are likely not sincere, and for good reason. They have their lives to get on with. If you want to be a respected human being, no matter what age you are, you have choices to look at life in a postive way or the other way. These are your choices to make, and they form your life as it stands, and give you identity and reputation. It is never too late to hope for respect from others but it starts with you respecting yourself. You don't need a bevy of friends or family holding you up. Your independence, no matter how small it is, or how tiny for what is left of your abilities, forms you, the individual you always were and are. You might have aged, but you have not changed.
