What does it mean to age gracefully? More than the pursuit of a youthful appearance or a resigned acceptance of the number of candles on a birthday cake, to age with grace is a way of being. Those who embrace the process of getting older are marked by a grounded sense of self and fewer worries about what other people think.
As psychologist Mark Frazier explains, “To age gracefully, one needs to anticipate the changes that are inevitable … It’s more of a, ‘Yes, I knew this was coming and I know that I’ll negotiate my way through it.”
Common traits of those who choose not to resist the aging process include an eternal sense of curiosity, acceptance of change, and a continued interest in personal growth regardless of age. Here are some guiding thoughts about embracing the autumn and winter stages of life with open arms.
I think it’s nice to age gracefully. OK, you lose the youth, a certain stamina and dewy glow, but what you gain on the inside as a human being is wonderful: the wisdom, the acceptance, and the peace of mind. It’s a fair exchange.
I like the idea of growing old gracefully and full of wrinkles.
People talk about aging successfully, but I think of it as living gracefully and living to the absolute fullest. I’m about trying new things and learning new things every single day, staying fresh, being interesting and interested, staying curious, staying busy, developing new friendships.
Growing older gracefully means having a keen curiosity about learning things about the world that you didn’t know yesterday, no matter how many yesterdays you’ve had.
It is a rare and difficult attainment to grow old gracefully and happily.
Part of the challenge of aging gracefully is that you have to continue to find things that are important to you … It’s time to follow where your passions lie.
The beauty of a woman, with passing years only grows!
I’m not interested in age. People who tell me their age are silly. You’re as old as you feel.
When grace is joined with wrinkles, it is adorable. There is an unspeakable dawn in happy old age.
I want to get old gracefully. I want to have good posture, I want to be healthy and be an example to my children.
I think being able to age gracefully is a very important talent.
As long as you can see each day as a chance for something new to happen, something you never experienced before, you will stay young.
It is sad to grow old but nice to ripen.
Aging gracefully is supposed to mean trying not to hide time passing and just looking a wreck. Don’t worry girls, look like a wreck, that’s the way it goes.
Aging is not an option, not for anyone. It is how gracefully we handle the process and how lucky we are, as the process handles us.
Featured Image Credit: Carlo Allegri/ Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Kelley J. Leigh
Kelley J. Leigh is a creative non-fiction writer and mixed-media artist based in Seattle, Washington.
