Thank you friends!
I got this in my mail today and it is rather fitting in my case!
I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life,
my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As
I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less
critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide
myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my
bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't
need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled
to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.
I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon;
before they understood the great freedom that comes with
aging.
Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the
computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?
I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the
60&70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a
lost love ... I will.
I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over
a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if
I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.
They, too, will get old.
I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of
life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember
the important things.
Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can
your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a
child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit
by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and
understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is
pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being
imperfect.
I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair
turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever
etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never
laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn
silver.
As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less
about what other people think. I don't question myself
anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.
So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set
me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going
to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste
time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what
will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I
feel like it)
MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN
IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!
MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE
AND IN YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER!
FRIENDS FOREVER
