How to Grow Old Gracefully

Some say that aging is a natural process. A part of the cycle of life. They celebrate aging as a counter move to age-ism and cite examples set by wealthy stars and former models who have grown older “gracefully” (i.e., they still look beautiful and well preserved). What utter rubbish! These propagandists neglect to mention anything about genes, plastic surgery or costly dermatological treatments, soft lighting, and air brushing. In reality, we get wrinkles, age spots, sagging skin, puffy eyes, etc., etc. Historians worry about the fall of man but what about the fall of woman?!? No, growing old is a very un-natural process that leads to one eventuality—death.

Anyone who puts faith in the truthfulness of God’s Word as recorded in the Bible knows that humans were meant to live forever. We were never meant to die nor meant to grow old. Aging, sickness, and death are by-products of the disobedience that began in the Garden of Eden and have been passed down from generation to generation like hair or eye color. The account of man’s descent from perfection has been carried down too, albeit with variation, in the teachings of Christian and non-Christian religions alike, therefore what I am saying should not be shocking to anyone regardless of religious persuasion. So, with the un-naturalness of aging established, is it actually possible to grow old gracefully?
 

The first thing I wanted to do is make sure I understood the full meaning of the word “graceful”. Seems elementary I know but there are lots of words whose meaning we take for granted when, upon closer inspection, we can obtain a much richer understanding. So, I decided to investigate. The ever handy Dictionary.com defines the word “graceful” as “characterized by elegance or beauty of form, manner, movement or speech; elegant”. Taking it a step further, I also typed the word “gracefully” in a Microsoft Word document and did a synonym search. Said search yielded results such as:  

Kindly, Charitably, Benevolently, Elegantly, With Poise, Charmingly, and Stylishly 

These words sum up quite nicely how anyone can grow old gracefully. Simply put, be all of those things. Stylish and elegant in our dress; poised in our carriage; kind and charming in our demeanor; and benevolent and charitable in our thoughts and actions. No doubt we each have examples of ones in our lives who exemplify these very characteristics. Follow their example and, to slightly paraphrase Dylan Thomas, “Rage against the dying of the light”…gracefully.