Dear Gracie,
I’m heading into triple digits in a few months and that’s got me thinking about you, back there at the halfway mark. Don’t worry. No need to roll your eyes in anticipation of receiving Precious Life Lessons from your aged future self. Rather the opposite, in fact.
I’d like to ask you a favour. Will you think about me every now and then, back there in 2010? I’m entering my second century still going strong – and I want you intact and with me. So just hang on. I can’t do this without you.
You create me as you rub your hand across your face, as you turn over in bed to get more comfortable. You accrue me as you fold each wish into yourself with your breath. I can’t be here unless you’re there.
The most basic life lesson, anyway, is so simple it’s silly. The only thing absolutely required for anything you want in this life is to keep living. Just hang on. Come hell or high water, fortunes won or lost, loves ditto … as the short view stretches further and further into the long view, please keep on dreaming of your future. Of me.
Meet me. Assume you’ll live another 50 years. Act accordingly.
With love and gratitude,
Gracie
Related reading: Love’s Slope, A Forgiving Tale
Flickr photo: Beautiful old lady from Darap (Sikkim) village, by Sukanto Debnath
9 Comments
I love this! So creative..and honest..and lighthearted
This gives further meaning to the phrase; “You have to do this by yourself, and you can’t do it alone”.
Wonderful way to express aging and how we can help make it a healthy journey. So important to take care of ourselves now for the sake of our future self.
Ahhhh yes!
When I was in my 20s, I began studying aging, health, skin care etc., knowing that someday I would be an old woman, and wanting to be the best old lady *ever* Those lessons/decisons are paying dividends now. For which I’m grateful. But. I realized the other day that there’s a whole ‘nother aspect to aging — that it’s not a one-stop destination. After middle age, there’s early old age, and many stages after that. So now I am studying how to care for myself *now* to be the best really old lady I can be. This is just the encouragement I need!
Thanks Grace!
Thank you for this wondrous letter from an older self to a younger self. Gives me a smile and strengthens my backbone.
“You have to do this by yourself, and you can’t do it alone” — another of life’s tantalizing paradoxes, like being myself while being with someone important to me who wants me to be a different way. Tricky, but possible. Not necessarily easy, but crucial and essential.
I’m having a salad for lunch today. I think my 100-year-old self would like that.
Grace,
Thank you for this inspiring post! The last line, “Meet me. Assume you’ll live another 50 years. Act accordingly.” reminded me that I can take care of my mental health all I want, but if I don’t take care of the body, it’ll all be pointless. Did a bit of working out this morning, about to make myself a nice breakfast and will remember to incorporate into my new morning ritual!
Much love!
c
“You create me as you rub your hand across your face,..” I remember reading magazines in my 20’s advising me to sleep on my back to avoid wrinkles, and to use my ring finger to apply eye makeup so you didn’t stretch that delicate skin. None of those tips ever spoke to me since they always focused on how I would look in 40 years. Thanks instead for focusing on how I would feel in the future!
This is beyond lovely. Thank you for this.