Did we sign up for this?

Do we have to get old? 

Yup. We do.

I don’t like it anymore than you.

People say we sign up for dying the moment we’re born.

They can go to hell.

But in truth, the wheel of life builds us up, holds us high for a blink of an eye, then slowly grinds us down. Like grain into flour on an old stone mill.

We are aging. Moment by moment.

All of us, from mountains to the dragonfly, face the same fate.

Can we cheat this decline?

What a seductive thought.

Will nutrition, strength training, or an unshakable positive attitude keep us young forever?

No my friend, they won’t.

Nothing we do, or eat or think will change the very nature of our existence here on Earth. 

If we are anything in these physical bodies, we are temporary. I struggle with this more than I can put into words.

I love the sights, sounds, and textures of life. I love the close knit family my wife and I created. Actually, I just love being alive. I don’t want it to end.

I’ve never been so appreciative of being young, now that I’m not anymore.

It saddens me that no matter what we do this will all go away, either quickly, or slowly over time. Despite our objections, we are powerless to the nature of life.

As we stare into this sobering truth, what do we do?

Be depressed? 

We can.

But it won’t do us much good. Thinking negatively rarely brings about anything positive, unless it’s a spark for the fire of change.

Remember hearing this from an aging relative? “Don’t ever get old (your name here), don’t ever get old.” 

We’ve been conditioned to think the only fair deal from life is staying young forever.

But life gives only two cards to play. 

Card 1: Growing old.

Card 2 : Not getting a chance to.

If given the choice, which would you play?..........

Me too.

Living into our eighth or ninth decade seems not so bad - given the alternative. Actually, compared to dying early, it starts feeling like a privilege. 

For all those men who died younger, should we complain about having something they desperately wished for? 

Shouldn’t we feel.....lucky?

If growing old feels like a curse, let’s ask ourselves why it feels that way. And then, what can we do about it. 

We don’t play the fool by accepting that we're getting old. Only by accepting our fate can we create a sense of control through making changes.

This is doable - for all of us. 

Death is inevitable, but should it hold us powerless?

Aging is involuntary, but does it need to be haphazard and surrendered to?

Let’s not hate the privilege of getting old. 

Let’s love it. Turn it into something we look forward to, by deftly steering around every corner. And staying in control until the very end.

God willing, we will grow old before we die.

Can we make life a constant adventure while doing it?

Grow or Die,

Ken Kowalsky