Why Don't People Want to Grow Up?

I received many comments on my Facebook page regarding yesterday's blog post question: When did you first realize that you had become a grown-up? Almost everyone said that they are not yet grown-up. Which got me to thinking about this whole growing up business and what it means to different people.

I know that people are partially kidding when they say that they don't want to grow up or that they are not grown ups yet. But I think that you can peel back a few layers to the core truth: aging is not celebrated in this country. We have a huge industry to keep us feeling and looking young.

Is this really an ideal that we want to encourage? The people I know who had plastic surgery in their late thirties and forties to "fix" their aging faces and bodies are still striving for a level of perfection that can be very elusive. It's like chasing your tail. It's hard to know when you are "there" because as soon as you get "there", you notice other "imperfections".

Here's how I feel about the aging process: I love the knowledge and wisdom I have been blessed with as I age. I would not want to go back in time and be any other age. The only challenge I have is that I have to be more careful with my body, exercising more, eating more carefully, and stretching more often. My younger body was very forgiving, while my older body has taught me to be more mindful.

What have you learned from your aging process?