2022 has been a bit more stable than the previous two years, and yet still very much under the influence of the pandemic. The “hibernation” we all went into in 2020 is hard to wake up from. For example, I rarely want to go the grocery store in person like I used to. Instead, I continue to order online.*
Hibernation is no way to live, however, and it is human nature to want to move around and explore and experience new things. I find myself wanting to get out again. Do things like take evening classes or go to concerts. This post-pandemic lethargy is getting stale.
Slowly, I am waking myself back up. It helps to get things shaken up at work. Thanks to a reorganization, I have a new boss and some new coworkers. There’s a freshness and a bit of chaos, and the challenge of keeping up has made me feel my old self again. My old self likes new things.
Speaking of new things, I was watching a make-up tutorial on doing make-up for aging eyes. Every age has its own charm, its own advantages and its own challenges, and I was still doing my make-up like I’d learned in the 80s (!). The video taught me a few pointers and I had fun experimenting and acquiring a better daily make-up. And I started thinking about the phrase “growing old”.**
Growing old. Growing. What is growing? What signifies growth? I’d say development, expansion, thriving, strengthening and even discovery and learning. This makes growing old sound appealing. It sounds like an opportunity. And it is. It is like nothing you’ve done before.
And of course, if you can keep doing the above, the growing bit, you’ll never actually age.
*) It’s not just lethargy, though: The app makes it easy to see specials and coupons, so it actually saves me money.
**) Norwegian sticks with “get old”. Where’s the fun in that?
A Roll in the Universe 
14 replies on “Growing old”
I am finding myself to be less introverted these days. Maybe it’s pandemic boredom, or maybe I have learned to appreciate my friends differently. Either way… interesting times 🙂
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I’m experiencing something similar. Like, maybe a worldwide angst has lost its grip on us.
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Beautiful nature capture
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Thank you 😊
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Personally I can’t go with “growing” and “old” together. I’d say becoming old, or, as you say, getting old. It’s just the reality. As life goes on, of course, you accumulate more and more information, if you look for it, that is, and with a little luck it becomes wisdom. Myself, I am less introverted now, at 70+, mainly because I don’t really give a shit (quite as much,) and I’ve learned that what people think of me can’t hurt me. (quite as much.) I guess after so much time, it’s simply that you become good at living. For the rest, it’s all a matter of losing steam, maybe, and parts wearing out. As it’s always been, you just work with what you’ve got.
The perspective change with aging makes things more interesting. I’ll say that.
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Lovley photo!
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Thank you!
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What a beautiful atmosphere 😍🔥🔥
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Thank you!
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…and there’s my favorite hot Norwegian. it turns out you and Gekko are the only people in the universe with «active» blogs who actually post more rarely than I, and I’m sorry to say I lost track of you for awhile.
I quite liked this post, and always like your photography. I’m probably 8 or 9 years older than you, and I’ve been contemplating the evolving ageing process more and more often myself. As to the «growth», my version seems oriented more toward having to adjust the shocks on the Harley to account for the extra load.
C’mon over for a visit (asbestosdust.blogspot.com) should you have a bit of spare time. Don’t worry about the «mature audience» setting — you are, so it doesn’t apply, and it’s really mostly to keep the riff-raff out.
Good to «see» you…
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Nice to see you again, Dust! I will definitely drop by your blog! I’m OK with mature, but have lately bristled against “old” because it doesn’t match my thinking, no matter what my body says. But growing? Still. Happily.
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The lethargy you speak of is very real, indeed.
«getting old» can be fun. «Getting a raise,» «getting out of debt,» «getting your first house,» «getting pregnant,» it represents something that you are lucky to have. «Getting old» just means you are lucky enough to be old.
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Welcome! And yes, getting old can be fun and should be.
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Thank you! There are many parts of getting older that are fun, such as not caring what anyone thinks anymore and just doing you, being more comfortable in your own skin, etc. There are also parts that are not fun – like my back hurts more often lol But I’ll take the back-ache any day over the self-doubt of being a teen.
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