Setting aside an aging body, notice other aspects of your life that can make you old. For the most part, biological aging is inevitable. We can stay as healthy as possible, but aging is part of nature. Once we accept this aging process, we can focus on other behaviors that make us old.
When we label ourselves as looking old: skin changes, graying hair or hair loss, gravity taking its toll, and diminishing physical prowess, we begin to idealize being younger. Don't concern yourself with what is only skin-deep. By accepting nature's way, we are telling ourselves and others that beauty comes in many forms.
Becoming set in our ways can make us old. Doing things the way we have always done them or how our parents have done them can cause us to become stagnant. Remembering our past as the good old days may blind us to the advantages of the present. Opening our eyes and minds to a variety of ways of doing things can keep us from living in the past. Trying to understand the younger generations can broaden our minds and deepen our thinking.
As they say, getting older beats the alternative. Don't idealize the past; honor the present and be part of today's world.
