Rambling with an Octogenarian

 

“It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old,
they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams.” 
― Gabriel García Márquez,  1927-2014 – Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, 

When I was young/younger, I warned my children and anyone who would listen, that I would not grow old gracefully. And  I have warned you in the past my blogging friends, how I shall be when I am old.

“I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves, And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.”

Jenny Joseph – Warning

I love the idea of women growing older but not old. We all undergo several steps in maturing from infancy. These include childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, middle age, and then if we are lucky, we reach my age!  Each stage presents distinct challenges and as we move through them hopefully, we are learning and maturing, But growing old…

But just because we are getting older – and think about it,  every day we are getting older – we don’t have to be old. When I think of old I imagine an old person sitting in a chair doing nothing active. I don’t want to be that person. I have said in the past that I want to hike into my old age. Well, perhaps hike is stretching things, but at least I am walking and occasionally dancing, into my old age.

I look at these fashion icons over the age of 60 (sweet young things) and think that’s who I want to be who when I grow old.

So I will just keep on as I have been and then maybe when I’m old I can wear purple, with a red hat which doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me.

But for now, as Shirley MacLaine says:

“I think of life itself now as a wonderful play
that I’ve written for myself and so my purpose is
to have the utmost fun playing my part.”

And Audrey Hepburn says:

“The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she knows.”

And Judith Baxter says:

I will most definitely be outrageous, difficult and undignified,
but not until I am old.