Anne Karpf has written a book called How to Age for The School of Life. I listened to a short YouTube talk she gave on the topic, and was grateful for it. I realized that I’ve internalized the common narrative of ageing as decline. Among the things Karpf pointed out was that we lose some things and gain others at every stage in life, and old age is no different. The losses that come with age are already part of my self-image. The gains need to be looked for.
Karpf noted that older people may care less than before about what other people think of them. I think that’s true of myself. It’s easier for me to be more honest with others now – with a concurrent lessening of stress – and I’m better able to pay attention to them. What else. I've noticed that, along with weakening memory, I have less sense of being in a stream of time, and more sense of the present. With less coloring from the past, each season comes as a fresh experience. And most precious of all, age has brought the leisure to work on growing as a person. Time, too, for – ah! – the sensual pleasure of extended naps in the sunshine.
Karpf ends by reminding us that longevity is a gift not given to everyone. The challenge for me is to stop resisting it, and to savor it instead.
--Julian