Riding through Life

Aging ~ a topic often met with fear, laughter or derision.

So many jokes about so much of it, as if aging were inevitable.

And then there’s the saying ‘aging gracefully’ ~

now what does that mean?

There’s a tendency to be resentful, and with a bit less stamina, not very graceful.

Another disliked phrase? ~ ‘it’s just part of aging,’

Often said with a gentle, almost patronizing tone ~

a pat on the head wouldn’t be surprising.

Quite frankly I don’t have time for any of it.

I've learned to do things differently ~ 

at different paces,

what’s absolutely necessary and what is not

words jumble, tumble and dart away from the tip of my tongue

only minor annoyances, that slow me down.

In high school the big question was, and still is: What do you want to be when you grow up?

When you’re 65, and still working: When are you going to retire?

What happened to the growing up part, all that space in between?

Not ready to park my bike any time soon, I’ll just keep on riding.

“Age to me means nothing. I can’t get old; I’m working. I was old when I was twenty-one and out of work. As long as you’re working, you stay young. When I’m in front of an audience, all that love and vitality sweeps over me and I forget my age.”

~ George Burns (1886-1996)