Growing Old: Should you?  

“Never grow old.” My grandma told me as she sat with nothing to do in a retirement home.  She had been saying she was ready to go for about 2 decades.  

Ok, I understand the sentiment and the viewpoint.  I really do.  But the alternative isn’t great either.  

Let me be clear.  There is a difference between having had lots of birthdays and BEING old.  I have seen 40 year olds that you can tell have decided they are old now and they have given up on trying and learning new things.  I have also seen 70 year olds that are active and with it and are happy to do new things and they are like being around a young person.

I am not advocating for BEING old before your body is actually old.  

But why are we telling people not to get old?  The only other option is death.  

I lost a friend in his early 30’s to lung cancer.  He didn’t grow old.  
I lost a childhood friend to leukemia.  She didn’t grow old.  

Yes, when a body gets old it hurts. There are aches and pains and it is harder to sleep and sometimes it doesn’t hold its pee very well anymore.  

It is hard to romanticize growing old.  I get that it sucks in some ways.  

Is there a perfect alternative?  Could a person work (or recreate in a productive way) and keep their body and mind fit until their last day?  Then when they reach the stage of of a-happy-wise-grandparent they just fall asleep one night and never wake up?  

Of course I don’t wish for anyone to suffer or prolong a bad situation.  But is getting old guaranteed to be a bad situation? 

Regardless of the pains and travails of growing old, I wouldn’t wish the alternative on anybody.

There is always something that can be done about any condition in life.