Dear Cutie,
I worry about aging and growing old. People always say that you’ll always wish you were young again. They seem sad. I have been stressing over this for the last year!
I was wondering, since you are fabulous for your age, if you have anything to tell me. My family tells me not to worry, but I can’t seem help myself.
Signed,
15 and Thinking Too Much
—
Dear 15 and Thinking Too Much,
I completely understand that you are concerned about getting older. Sometimes I can’t believe that I am coming up on 96 years. Certainly as a young person, I never thought that I would get to be this old — but now that I am older, I can see that aging is not in itself a bad thing.
Getting older is not something that you should be afraid of. So many good things come of it. You get the time to accept yourself and to become the kind of person that you wish to be. As you grow older, you can learn how to take very good care yourself — with bubble baths, walks in the sun, a nap when you need it — and you can spend your time loving and caring for the wonderful people who you chose to have in your life. These are the things that an older person can look back on, with joy.
I was lucky because had my husband Harry. Even after 73 years together, he still looked at me like I was the young lady he fell in love with. And because of his kindness and acceptance of me, I never felt like I was old–maybe “older” but certainly not “old”.
I know that the media tries to tell us that the only thing that matters is youth, but that is so wrong! Definitely enjoy this time that you have as a young person and try not to be so hard on yourself for being concerned about getting older. It might help to take a moment to think about what it is about getting older that is so scary to you. Identifying your fears can help take the power out of them. And if you still can’t stop thinking about this, you might want to talk to a trusted medical professional about ways to overcome obsessive worrying.
I think about you at age fifteen and smile. You have your whole life ahead of you — so many wonderful experiences to come. Aging comes with the territory, and it can be quite wonderful territory. I know that you will make the most of it.
Love,
Cutie
Dear Cutie,
I worry about aging and growing old. People always say that you’ll always wish you were young again. They seem sad. I have been stressing over this for the last year!
I was wondering, since you are fabulous for your age, if you have anything to tell me. My family tells me not to worry, but I can’t seem help myself.
Signed,
15 and Thinking Too Much
—
Dear 15 and Thinking Too Much,
I completely understand that you are concerned about getting older. Sometimes I can’t believe that I am coming up on 96 years. Certainly as a young person, I never thought that I would get to be this old — but now that I am older, I can see that aging is not in itself a bad thing.
Getting older is not something that you should be afraid of. So many good things come of it. You get the time to accept yourself and to become the kind of person that you wish to be. As you grow older, you can learn how to take very good care yourself — with bubble baths, walks in the sun, a nap when you need it — and you can spend your time loving and caring for the wonderful people who you chose to have in your life. These are the things that an older person can look back on, with joy.
I was lucky because had my husband Harry. Even after 73 years together, he still looked at me like I was the young lady he fell in love with. And because of his kindness and acceptance of me, I never felt like I was old–maybe “older” but certainly not “old”.
I know that the media tries to tell us that the only thing that matters is youth, but that is so wrong! Definitely enjoy this time that you have as a young person and try not to be so hard on yourself for being concerned about getting older. It might help to take a moment to think about what it is about getting older that is so scary to you. Identifying your fears can help take the power out of them. And if you still can’t stop thinking about this, you might want to talk to a trusted medical professional about ways to overcome obsessive worrying.
I think about you at age fifteen and smile. You have your whole life ahead of you — so many wonderful experiences to come. Aging comes with the territory, and it can be quite wonderful territory. I know that you will make the most of it.
Love,
Cutie