Ageism - Freed by the Heart

The conclusion drawn by Henri Nouwen in his writings on aging can be summed up by the word  “choice”.  According to Henri: “No one can decide for anyone else how his or her aging shall or should be.  It belongs to the greatness of men and women that the meaning of their existence escapes the power of calculations and predictions”…Everyone will age and die, but this knowledge has no inherent direction.  It can be destructive as well as creative, oppressive as well as liberating.”  To me, just this information is liberating.  I remember years ago stating that I didn’t want to be a crabby old lady and a friend turned to me and stated, “why, were you a crabby young lady?”   I love that how we age is all about choice.  Going into the unknown is always frightening and putting this  “journey into the last frontier” into the perspective of past experience brings a great deal of comfort. 

Our next blogs will deal with ways in which we can age creatively.  Please contribute your own experience or those of wonderful role models in your life.  Please join the dialogue.  It is important to deal with the huge fear which creates a prejudice against aging.  Do you fear your ability to walk into old age with grace?  Please share!