'Old age is not an illness'

How do you feel about your aging process? Positive? Negative? Fearful? Or do you have a sense of adventure about it all, intending to live fully before you die?

Such a variety of attitudes exist around us. And, in fact, in us, too. Our attitudes toward our own aging can change with circumstances—and change as the decades ahead of us become fewer and those behind us add up. But that doesn't have to be the case.

We can decide to be thankful for our aging, no matter what our situation. As author May Sarton said in her later years, "Old age is not an illness; it is a timeless ascent. As power diminishes, we grow more toward the light."

Indeed. It's not an illness. As we "grow more toward the light," our wisdom and understanding increase. When we approach aging with gratitude, we have the opportunity to mellow out and become more calm and serene. When we see it as an adventure full of new possibilities and learnings, we deepen our joy. Isn't that better than fear and dread? It's your choice.