ABOUT AGE & AGING

Three years ago, soon after beginning this Penless Writer blog, I wrote a post entitled IN THIS SKIN about my view of aging. A number of months ago a blog friend suggested I re-post that writing. Since it is one that I have on my side-bar I felt like most everyone who reads this blog had probably already read it and so did not.

Lately I've had quite a few people who know me in REAL life, as well as in this magic Blogland, comment on how young acting I am and how they forget how "old" I really am!!!! I'd been thinking about this quite a bit lately and then a few days ago I was going through some old quotes that I have, love and treasure, and stumbled on this one:

"Youth is not entirely a time of life; it is a state of mind. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old by deserting their ideals. You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair." Douglas MacArthur

Three years ago, when I wrote the IN THIS SKIN post I was 69 years young. Now I am 72 years young! and I believe both what I wrote then and this wonderful quote by McArthur even more today than ever.

This aging process, this growing older, this journey through life, truly is so very much about our attitudes, our outlook, our view of life, and most importantly our view of our eternal home and where we are going than it is the mere passing of these 365 days a year, year after year.

So for all of you many out there who are so much younger chronologically than I am please be assured......growing older is not bad at all!!!!

To close with another great Douglas MacArthur quote:

"In the central place of every heart there is a recording chamber. So long as it receives a message of beauty, hope, cheer and courage - so long are you young. When the wires are all down and our heart is covered with the snow of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then, and only then, are you grown old."