Friday, August 22, 2008

Note to Self: Older is Happier

I had time to flip through a magazine yesterday when I was in the hair salon. This title grabbed me.

Note to Self: Older is Happier

"Though we as a society extol the years of early adulthood, research studies have demonstrated that younger adults are not as happy as adults in their older years. In later years, the horizon of time has shifted…"

I was called for my appointment before I finished copying the entire quote, but it went on to say that as we get older, we tend to live in the present more than at any time in our lives. When we're young, we often press to the future so hard that we miss things. When we're very old, we tend to live in the past. But right now, I'm in the middle, and I can savor the present. I suppose I haven't totally embraced the whole concept yet in that I take ridiculous pleasure in the fact that I "just" qualify as those in later years. Since my grandmother is 101, I fugure I "just" arrived at middle age at 50. I am encouraged with the thought that I have lots of happiness ahead.

If you want the quote verbatim, it's in September Songs: The Good News about Marriage in the Later Years by Maggie Scarf which will be released Sept. 4.

2 comments:

Kelly said...

I am 40, and am very content with my life. I've had my kids and am busying raising them. I do think the "middle" years are the best. I am so happy.

If only my face would stop falling. LOL! Then I'd truly be content!

The Patterson 5 said...

My mom said, once she turned 40 she stopped worrying about what others thought and really started enjoying life. Since then I have looked forward to aging. Plus CK made 40 look so fun I can't wait! I do wish all the weird things like hairs growing out of my chin would not happen but my mom and I chuckled about that as it happens to her too and as a teenager I thought that was so weird and now here I am!

Your grandmother is 101! You have a long ways to go!