Getting older

Getting older can be fun, but it can also pose lots of problems. My son is almost a teenager (ahh!!) and my Mother is getting older. It can be very exciting to get older. I remember when I couldn't wait to drive, to date, to do all those amazing things I couldn't do because I wasn't "older". Then, once I could do all those things, and once I was required to drive (everywhere-the store, work, to piano, errands, drop my son at school, etc.) It seemed like a chore and not that amazing thing that had seemed so out of reach years before. (Now don't get me wrong. There is nothing like going for a long drive with the radio turned up and just letting everything go.) It seems I always wanted what I didn't have. Once, I got it, it just wasn't as great as all the wishing, hoping and dreaming had been. There is definitely something to gratitude and appreciating what you have and what you get. What I have learned, that when you put in your whole heart and soul, work hard to achieve something, what you get has value and meaning. Also, time is fleeting, we all have no idea exactly how much we will have. If we can live each moment to the best of our ability, forgive ourselves (and others) for misteps, then no matter what our age, we will find joy.