I'm not afraid of getting old.

To be honest, I am not. With age comes new experiences, wisdom, and capabilities you do not have at a younger age. I am okay with turning the number 18, as I will be with the numbers 25, 32, 50, and 81. Age is but a number. I have thought about this before and accept that I will age. And with each passing day, I gain knowledge and experience a brand new day.

I suppose I never took in the downfalls of aging. It is more of the physical attributes of aging that bother me. Now, I am okay with the wrinkles that will one day crease my skin and the dark brown-black hair that will fade into a light gray or white. However, I never truly thought about how my sight with also fade, or how hearing will eventually be difficult. No, I am not old yet nor even close to becoming old, but I have noticed the differences in myself. While being younger than I am today, I could see clearly, and have accurate hearing. Now, I wear reading glasses and infrequently ask people to repeat what they have said. I have aches and pains that my mother used to complain about and think more about my plans for the future and how I plan to live my life. 

Even with these consequences of getting older, I am grateful for the chance to do so. I have decided to age gracefully mentally, now, the physical is a little more out of my control and I will accept (maybe not too quietly) the changes that will happen to my body. But with these changes, I will also accept the new experiences I will be granted, the knowledge I will gain. I promise not to look back at my life when it is at it's end and feel regret. Instead, I will feel proud and wise. I will want to share my knowledge to ones who do not have it yet, and tell my experiences to interested listeners. Most of all, I will feel grateful to the people who helped me in my journey of life, and to God who will have given that life to me and all that is in it.