“We grow neither better nor worse as we get old, but more like ourselves.” May Lamberton Becker
“In youth we learn; in age we understand.” Marie Ebner-Eschenbach
“Youth is the time of getting, middle age of improving, and old age of spending.” Anne Bradstreet
“The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.” Lucille Ball
“The great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been.” Madeleine L’Engle
Choose one or more of the following to write about:
Consider the age you are now. In what ways do you feel younger or older than that age? What do you appreciate about that age? What bothers you about it?
If you could wave a magic wand and be any age you wanted to for one month how old would you be? Why? What would you do for that month? Who would you spend time with?
At what age were you when you first had a sense of being an adult? What was it about that time in your life that made you feel like you were a grown up?
Imagine being able to spend an afternoon with yourself at age 10, 20, 30, and 40 (etc.) What would your different selves talk to one another about? What messages would each one want
to pass on to the others?
Linda, I’m new to blogging. What is a “writing prompt”? You’ve given us here some marvelous quotes, and you’ve asked some provocative questions. Are we supposed to comment on these? Are they the prompts for our comments????? I’m lost.
I’ve been reading blogs only since the end of July. I’ve never seen one like your posting today. Help me out. Please.
Dee, I don’t think you have to do anything you don’t want to do. Linda (my take, anyway) is just simply offering you the chance to consider all this, write about it if you want, in a comment or on your own blog. The blogosphere hasn’t got many rules, we’re making it up as we go along! 🙂
I myself find that as I approach seventy, I truly appreciate so much more about life and realize that as a young woman, I was much less happy than I should have been, if I had had the wisdom of my later years. But that’s not the way it works, is it? Great questions to ponder, thanks so much, Linda!
Wow Linda – profound stuff! Your quotes and questions have almost inspired me to pick up my pen (well, ok, my computer) and write – something I haven’t done for years!
I love aging. I don’t know if I’m doing it ‘well’ or not, but I love the ever increasing awareness, understanding and wisdom that it brings. My life has far less drama now – and much more peace.
I would do anything to be able to sit with my 10, 20, 30 and 40 year old selves. First – I would sit quietly and listen to each of them tell their stories – for as long as it takes. I would hold them in my arms and in a deep, deep state of love, tell them: I love you. You are and always have been lovable. It was not your fault. Forgiving others is much easier once you’ve forgiven yourself. This too shall pass.
Dear DJan, Thank you so much for explaining to me.
I’m all set now to say that I’m 75 and am enjoying my journey to wholeness. I found the forties freeing; the fifties refreshing; the sixties filled with growing health concerns. The seventies are being life-giving, bringing me new adventures, new thoughts, new possibilities, new options.
At 75, I am experiencing a joyous renewal of the delight of my early childhood. And all shall be well.
Wonderful collection of quotes, Linda. I turned 60 this June and am keeping a photo and word journal of what I call “ten little years” — my journey between 60 and 70. And then I plan to do another one, maybe “ten MORE little years” and maybe a third. I figure by the time I am 90, the technology will probably be readily available to do a 3-d holographic journal and blog. By the time I am 90, I will have been blogging for 38 years. Wow!! If my memory starts to slip, I can just search my own blog files. . .
One note: at 60, (married to a vigorous 74 year old for almost 28 years), I feel great: mentally stronger and more flexible than at any time in my life; physically strong, too, in fact I just ran down to the gate and back (2/3 of a mile). For long distances, I am a walker, not a runner, but sometimes a short sprint feels exuberant. This may sound strange, but if I could go back in time, I would love to be able to tell my child self that she could “become her own mother” and nurture herself. That child learned how to do that in time, but not until she was almost 30.
Linda,
Your prompts are just what I needed to get that pen rolling again. Thanks for sharing. Now that my butt is in the chair, I’ve got some work to do. I appreciate the gentle nudge!
Blessings,
Kathy