Tuesday Coffee Chat

Today's Tuesday Coffee Chat is a fun one! It is simply this ... Would you rather _____ ? And the comparison is up to me.

This past week while looking through photographs it was mentioned how young, pretty and skinny I was five years ago. And I had to admit that, dang, I did look good back then! I don't look awful now, it's just that in five years I haven't been as diligent about taking care of my body as I should and I have allowed stress to take its toll on me. Stress really does affect your physical appearance over time.

While talking about this I admitted how old I felt. And one of the kids said, "Well, you do all old lady kinds of things. You like to stay in the house and read, etc. Do some young things and maybe you'll feel younger!" (That was paraphrased some, but that is definitely what I heard.)

And it got me thinking how right that child was ... I have started to get comfortable with my aging and have just been giving into it, maybe even trying to hurry it up a bit.

So here is my question for you ... Would you rather grow old gracefully or try to fight the process for as long as you can?

I have been very comfortable with growing older. Rick says that I can't wait to be an old lady, and he is right. I love the thought of having the whole day to myself, with lots of quiet, sitting and reading and watching my television shows, swinging on my porch swing with a cup of tea, piddling in the house and in the yard/garden, taking my dog for a walk, enjoying visits from my kids, spending quiet evenings with Rick.

But I also want to feel good, feel energized, look energized, act energized. I want my skin to shine and to still have a stylish hairstyle. I don't have to be in style in my clothing but I never want to be out of style. I want to have enough energy to attend the activities of my grandchildren and go on vacations with my husband. I don't want Rick to feel like he has to do everything alone because I don't ever want to leave the house.

I don't want to be a lonely old woman like my Grandma Alice was, just waiting to die. I want to enjoy life and enjoy it to the fullest for as long as I can!

I want to fight the process of aging as long as I can physically do it! And I don't mean plastic surgery, botox, spending thousands on beauty products. I mean staying active, staying alive, moving and doing and having fun, smiling and laughing, hosting dinners, attending activities. A lot of these things are outside my comfort zone. But if I give in so easily to the aging process, then I am going to be old before I know it.

So, although I plan to give myself a little bit of grace in this aging process (because I am, in fact, getting older), I am going to try my best to stay out there fighting it a little each and every day. And, hopefully, enjoying my life in the process. I am still looking forward to that quiet life I mentioned above. But it will be here before I know it, and I shouldn't rush it or welcome it so quickly. I have a lot of life to live and a family that wants to live it with me.

So how about you? Would you rather grow old gracefully or try to fight the process as long as you can?