We hope Vogue Magazine doesn’t object, but the end of an article in the August 2012 magazine about Bel(le) Kaufman was too good not to share with you. It puts so succinctly what its like to grow oldl The entire article is worth reading, but the ending is really special. It follows:
“I’ve lived a long time, a very long time, 101 years and I’m, still here. I’ve done with the doubts and struggles and insecurities of youth. I’m finished with loss and guilt and regret. I’m very old, and nothing is expected of me. Now, provided good health continues, I can do what I want. I can write my memoirs. I can edit my works for future eBooks. I can even do nothing – what a luxury that is! I have new priorities and a new appreciation of time. I enjoy my family more than ever, and also a sunny day and a comfortable bed. I keep up my interest in books and theater and people, and when I’m tired, I rest. My former students write to me and visit me. i had many problems and disasters in my life, fortunately at my age, I don’t remember what they were. I’m glad I am 101.”
I think everyone over 70 years could write a variation of that paragraph. The older you are the freer you become – and that crosses race, sex, finances, education, and all the other things which separate, motivate and define us as younger people. All of that drops away and we move closer to the diverse universe promised and worked for, but not achieved, when we were young. Humanity becomes more humane as year adds to year.
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