What They Don’t Tell You About Getting Older

It’s actually reinforced quite often. People tell you that time moves like a roll of toilet paper, disappearing faster as you go. They tell you that your body starts to hurt in odd ways and then in painful ones, that it’s harder to get a job and that your face gets wrinkled and that your relationships change and that suddenly you don’t recognize the celebrities du jour.

They also tell you that you gain wisdom, that you stop concerning yourself so much with the opinions of others, that some financial stability goes a long way and that each milestone age is the new 30. They tell you that if you’ve chosen what and who you love, then there’s nothing better than looking back on a life well lived.

What they don’t tell you is that no matter how much you’re told, it all comes as quite a surprise. The wisdom gained is hard fought, the body aches appear suddenly, the relationships change in devastating ways and the looking back on one’s life is as much a reconstructive exercise as a reflective one.

Few things that matter make sense. The joy lies in the doing despite of, even if, and again.