Ageing
It gets greater later!
The older I get, the more I realize that aging is not something you can sum up in a neat sentence. It is not all decline, and it is not all wisdom either, it is a complicated mix of both. Some days I feel grateful for the lessons life has taught me, and other days I feel the sting of what time has taken away. I remember when I was younger and my friends and I got together; we would talk about pop culture, crushes we had, future aspirations and the latest technology. Now, when I speak with my contemporaries, we talk about our family, current events, our past life experiences – good and not so good, medications we are taking, how to best deal with hair loss and wrinkles while comparing our latest MyChart results.
The body changes, whether you want it to or not. I notice aches that were not there before. I do not bounce back as quickly when I am sick or tired. There are days I feel the limits of my own energy, and that can be frustrating.
There is also the emotional weight of aging. As years have gone by, I have lost people I love. I have said goodbye to friends and family members, and each loss leaves its mark. The older I get, the more I realize how fragile time really is.
And then there are the subtle ways society treats you differently. Ageism is real. There are moments when I feel like the world values youth so much that it forgets the worth of experience. It is a reminder that aging is not only personal, but also cultural. You may see it in the corporate world and even in your search for a friendship or romantic partner.
However, I have found that there are upsides to ageing. You may have heard the idiom “It gets greater later.” It reflects a belief in continued growth, progress, and increasing fulfillment, whether through career success, personal happiness, spiritual achievements or reaching ones potential, especially as one gains knowledge and wisdom with age. One of the greatest gifts aging has given me is perspective. Things that once felt earth-shattering in my twenties—missed opportunities, failed relationships, small mistakes—do not keep me up at night anymore. I have lived through enough to know that life has a way of working itself out. That perspective makes me calmer, more patient, and more focused on who and what really matters.
I have also grown more comfortable in my own skin. In my younger years, I worried far too much about what other people thought of me. These days, I find myself saying “no” more often—not out of stubbornness, but out of clarity and respect for my boundaries. I know where I want to spend my time, and I know who I want to spend it with. That sense of freedom is one of the most liberating parts of growing older.
And then there are the relationships. With age, the bonds I have with family and close friends feel deeper and richer. I have lost people along the way, but that loss has only made me treasure the ones still here. Time reminds you that nothing is guaranteed, so you hug a little tighter, call a little more often, and appreciate the small moments.
Even with the challenges, I try to remind myself daily that aging is a privilege. Not everyone gets to grow old. Every wrinkle I have is a sign of laughter, stress, endurance, and love. Every gray hair is proof of the years I have lived and the stories I carry with me.
Aging, to me, is about balance. It is about holding gratitude in one hand and loss in the other and learning to walk forward with both. It is about savoring the present more deeply because you know how quickly it can pass.
And maybe that is the biggest lesson of all: aging teaches you not to take life for granted. It is not the end of growth—it is simply a different kind of growth. Ageing is that extraordinary process where life teaches you to become the person you always should have been.
Take care of yourself and each other!
