Carol C - age 74 - Kathleen Cosgrove

The odd thing about feeling my age is that it doesn’t really feel like
anything special. I still am who I am, think what I think, feel how I feel.
So, how am I supposed to “feel my age?” And what does that mean? If
I forgot something important when I was forty, it was excusable . . . after
all “she’s so very busy.” If I forget now do others think its an early sign
of dementia? Should I be worried? If I reject some newer technology
do others think I can’t learn it because I’m too old? Has it occurred to
them I might not care about the supposed benefit? Should I care?
I’ve spent the better part of my adult life in what many consider a
young women’s world . . . dance-fitness. Working with colleagues and
peers who are younger than my children has taught me age really is
what you make of it. Our studio offers a program geared to 60-80 year
olds and younger members at our studio who drop in for class are
surprised at how effective the workout is for them. All of us in the class,
including me, have some significant physical limitations but none of us
is focused on what we can’t do, only what we can. We realize that fitness
means wellness, not just looking good, and wellness is attainable no
matter what the calendar says.

So maybe it’s not so much about feeling my age as helping others
understand that age does not define them. We are still capable, though
perhaps a bit slower and in need of more rest. We may not be particularly
wiser, but surely more experienced and, maybe, a bit more patient.
And, note to medical personnel, “age” is not the cause of every health
challenge. All of which is to say that at my age I’m not better or worse
than I ever was. I just am.