Sunday, October 20, 2013

Aging has its Perks

Last week for my first blog I wrote about a perk to aging, that of truly appreciating the special people in our lives.  Initially I wanted every blog to be a pick-me-up for folks like me who may need reminders periodically of why we should be at peace with the fact that we’re getting up in years. But then something sobering happened in this process. I couldn’t dig up any other perks!  Ask me about single life…but aging? No matter how I tried, I couldn’t dress it up.    

I’ve got good news! I discovered another perk!  Now I’m wondering if they’re going to start falling from the sky. After all, tomorrow same sex licenses will be available in the garden state!  We have a black man as president, and perhaps a female is next. 

So yesterday my 24 year-old daughter emailed me asking how I’m doing.  Usually I respond by saying, “Great, and you?”  This time, I decided what the heck—I’m actually going to tell her; after all, she is in HR—and I shared a situation at my workplace that has become quite frustrating.  It wasn’t that I expected her to say, “Gee, that stinks…I’m really looking forward to the weekend,” but her immediate understanding of the situation was spot on, giving me not only support but a very savvy HR professional’s take on the complexities of office dynamics.    

As I shared the story with my actuary husband over sushi, he shared a story of his own.  He had been working on a project which had a particular component causing him angst, and he wanted to run it by someone he could rely on to think outside the box.  So, he called his 26 year-old daughter, a true chip off the old block, actuary and all. He found her take on the matter to be just what he needed to resolve the issue.  

Parenting is filled with ups and downs, and this is by far one of the more thrilling rides on the roller coaster, when we realize just how grown up our children have become.


I'd love to hear some of your stories...

2 comments:

  1. To me, the best benefit of aging is being able to finally use all your life experiences because you finally know yourself. You THINK you know yourself at 20, and that you're amazing just as you are thank you very much. You START to know yourself at 30 but feel there is a long way to go before you're content with who you are. You KNOW yourself at 40 but are so pissed it took so long that you ignore it. At 50, you have NO CHOICE but to know yourself and live life to the fullest because ya ain't getting any younger. AND, you have learned from your mistakes, aren't as hard on yourself, and set goals that are attainable. Plus, you know a lot more about wine!

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  2. I love your thinking, Tita! What I ruminate about these days is how wise I am NOW after so many life experiences but I know that in 10 or 20 years I will realize I really didn't know much at all...there's always so much to learn...but like you, I'm not so hard on myself as I age...I have learned to laugh at myself and not to mind when others laugh at me too! Thanks for sharing!

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