Some of my older friends tell me that aging is about letting go. The reason for that perspective has seemed obvious to me: a loss of hearing, friends, or, in the extreme, one's independence due to health could incline anyone to think life was about letting go of things gained over time. Am I ready for that I've wondered.
Recently I was talking to my walking partner about things and people in my life that I'm losing but unwilling to let go of. She said she heard an interview with Mia Farrow once who said life is about letting go from the moment of birth. We let go of our innocence, our childhood toys, our favorite little clothes. I said, yes, and then we grow up and start making money and discover new pleasures and forget all that. My friend just smiled.
A 90 year old I know though is in complete disagreement. Is aging about letting go? No. "Letting go? I certainly wouldn't want to think I'm letting go of anything." she said indignantly. So, I don't know. Its complicated.
Some of us come to a comfortable place of acceptance and letting go about life and age. Maybe thats the best way to look at the changes we find later in our lives since, afterall, they're inevitable. I know I like to visit friends who have that perspective because they allay anxieties I have about my own aging. But some of us will pull out resistence and determine not to let the encroachment of time encroach on our fun in life and that "woman on her porch with a shotgun" philosophy too has appeal. I always root for her to win out over the force of natural aging. Yes!
Who will we be as we continue to grow older? Will we let go, hold on, or stand somewhere in between? Every day we have to make that decision is a gift , really, and the only thing I know for sure is that facing a situation I have to let go of simply makes me more grateful for what I had.
