I’m officially getting old. Lucky me!

Enough said, end of post. Just kidding!

We’ve all seen the elderly gentleman who is in the supermarket rocking shorts, knee-high socks, and sandals. Or the elderly woman who is out in her housecoat and slippers with her makeup just a bit too bright or…misplaced completely.

But I bet we never stopped to think, how liberating! How wonderful it must be to reach an age when such superficial, vain matters become irrelevant. An age when we are simply satisfied to wake up on the right side of the grass, no daisies that we’re pushing up. An age when we actually don’t sweat the small stuff because we’ve learned that when we do, we just sweat. That’s it—sweat. It solves nothing, it robs us of the present, and life will happen anyway.

Man plans. God laughs.

When I reflect upon the things that stressed me out or upset me when I was younger, when I look back on my insecurities, fears, self-consciousness, and feelings of inadequacy, when I think about the time I can never get back, it doesn’t make me sad, nor does it fill me with regret. Instead, it makes me want to seize the day and live out every moment as if it could be the last. Letting go of perfection. Cherishing what’s meaningful. Making a difference wherever and whenever I can.

All of you young folks may laugh at those “old people” who are dressed funny or talking to themselves in the store. You’ll get there, trust me, and I bet you won’t feel any older than you do today—because age is but a number.

You can stay young in spirit forever, even when the joints are swelling and the aches are persistent. When you’re filled with curiosity, gratitude, and a zest for living, you’ll stay forever young.

Here are 15 telltale signs you’re reeling in the years:

1. You actually do turn the music down to see.

2. When you get a pain in your chest, you’re convinced it’s the end, but that doesn’t worry you. The bigger concern is being found in the shower, naked, for the world to see!

3. At the same time, vanity escapes you. Leaving the house without makeup, dealing with an extra pound or two, and not caring if you wear the same outfit two days in a row becomes perfectly acceptable.

4. You no longer care if you’re physically desirable to the opposite—or same—sex. Sure, we want to look good, but that’s not our end all, be all. We are more willing to be loved for our heart, mind, and character. Actually, that’s all we want and the only thing we’ll accept.

5. Stepping into your underwear or tying the laces on your sneakers becomes a major game to be won. Your aching back and shaky balance. That belly that was once flat. Success is the highlight of your day!

6. You walk into the room and forget why you’re there. Not one room, but multiple rooms.

7. You lose your point mid-sentence. In the act of telling your story, you ask, “What was I saying?” And when the answer doesn’t come, you no longer care.

8. Everyone drives too fast. They’re reckless and irresponsible. They don’t use directionals, they don’t follow the rules of the road, and…they’re texting!

9. Everyone around you suddenly looks 10 years old. The cops, firefighters, doctors, lawyers, politicians, teachers—everyone.

10. A perfect night is spent at home doing whatever it is that you want to do. Your idea of action is being left alone, entertaining no one other than your pets, and texting with those you love.

11. You look at pictures when you were young and thought you were fat when you realize you could have posed for a bathing suit ad.

12. You mourn the ones who loved you when you weren’t ready and celebrate their lives today.

13. The local newscasters become way too familiar, they feel like family. You talk about them at the dinner table and in the hallway with neighbors.

14. You spend a lot of time looking for your glasses—while they’re on your head, hanging from your shirt, or on your face!

15. The moment you hear “you remind me of my mother“—say what? That child in #9 has called you out when you had no idea what age you were—never mind how old.

The list of telltale signs could go on and on, but I’ll stop here.

I hope this post has made you smile (and keeps you young)!

If you have some telltale signs to share, be sure to comment and reply.

Menopausal women get first dibs—just saying.

~

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