At 82 years old, I have learned something about aging that nobody could have taught me when I was 30.
Growing older is unavoidable. Growing old is optional.
There is a difference.
Growing older happens every morning whether we like it or not. The calendar keeps turning. Our hair turns gray—or disappears altogether. Our knees complain about things they once ignored. We may walk a little slower, sleep a little differently, and discover muscles we didn't know existed until they started hurting.
That's growing older.
But growing old is something else.
Growing old happens when we stop being curious.
When we stop dreaming.
When we decide there is nothing new left to learn, nowhere new worth going, and nothing worthwhile left to accomplish.
And I refuse to do that.
I Still Have Things I Want to Do
People sometimes talk about old age as though life becomes a waiting room.
You retire. You sit down. You watch television. You talk about what you used to do.
Not me.
I still have books I want to write.
I still have things I want to say.
I still have sermons I want to preach.
I still have places I'd like to see.
And somewhere inside this 82-year-old man is still that young fellow who looks toward the horizon and wonders what's on the other side.
Maybe I won't accomplish everything I dream about.
But I'm certainly not going to quit dreaming because somebody thinks I'm too old.
Never Stop Learning
One of the quickest ways to grow old is to decide you already know everything you need to know.
Think about the world I've lived through.
I remember when a telephone was attached to the wall.
I remember five-cent phone calls.
I remember when getting information from an oil well sometimes meant driving miles through mud and rain just to find a telephone.
Today I sit at a computer and communicate with people around the world almost instantly.
I've learned computers.
I've learned websites.
I've worked on publishing books electronically.
I've learned social media.
And now I'm working with artificial intelligence.
At 82.
Do I understand all of it?
Absolutely not.
Sometimes I probably threaten to throw the computer through the window.
But I keep learning.
That's the important part.
Keep Something in Front of You
I believe everybody needs something to look forward to.
It doesn't have to be crossing an ocean or starting a business.
Maybe it's planting a garden.
Writing your family history.
Learning to paint.
Taking your grandchildren fishing.
Visiting somewhere you've always wanted to see.
Starting a ministry.
Learning an instrument.
Writing a book.
Or simply becoming better tomorrow than you were today.
The size of the dream doesn't matter.
What matters is having one.
When you stop looking forward, you begin spending all your time looking backward.
There's nothing wrong with remembering yesterday. At my age, I have a lot of yesterdays worth remembering.
But you can't live there.
Your Body May Slow Down Before Your Spirit Does
I'll admit something.
There are things I could do at 25 that would probably put me in the hospital today.
Age requires some common sense.
There's a difference between refusing to grow old and pretending you're still 25.
I don't have to prove anything anymore.
I've had adventures.
I've made mistakes.
I've succeeded.
I've failed.
I've lost things I thought I couldn't live without and discovered that I could.
I've buried people I loved.
I've watched children grow up and grandchildren begin their own lives.
I've watched the world change in ways I never imagined.
All of that teaches you something.
Life is precious precisely because it doesn't last forever.
Don't Let a Number Define You
We put far too much importance on numbers.
60
70
80
90
Some people act as though reaching a certain birthday means you're supposed to surrender your ambitions.
Who made that rule?
Your age tells people how long you've been alive.
It doesn't tell them how alive you are.
There are people at 40 who have already stopped living, and people at 80 who wake up wondering what adventure might be waiting today.
I know which one I want to be.
Faith Changes the Way I See Aging
As a Christian, I don't believe this life is the end of the story.
That changes everything about growing older.
I don't have to fear every birthday.
Every year isn't simply bringing me closer to death.
It's another year God has given me to live, learn, love, encourage somebody, and perhaps accomplish something worthwhile.
The Bible says:
"Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." — 2 Corinthians 4:16
I understand that verse better today than I did when I was young.
The outside gets older.
But something inside can keep growing.
Faith can grow.
Wisdom can grow.
Compassion can grow.
Gratitude can grow.
And sometimes dreams can grow too.
The Lesson
If you're younger than I am, don't waste your life worrying about getting older.
It's coming whether you worry about it or not.
Instead, concentrate on living.
Stay interested.
Stay curious.
Keep learning.
Laugh whenever you get the chance.
Love your family.
Help somebody who can't repay you.
Keep God at the center of your life.
And always keep something ahead of you worth getting out of bed for.
One morning, if God allows it, you may wake up and discover you're 82 years old.
You might look in the mirror and see an old man or an old woman looking back at you.
Smile.
That's just the outside.
Growing older is something life does to us.
Growing old is something we don't have to do.
— Michael Cunningham Sr.
82 Years — 82 Lessons
mikesobservations.com
