Getting Old Is Not As Bad As I Thought

Dr. James L. Snyder

I was celebrating and eating an Apple Fritter. I'm not sure what I was celebrating at the time, but it doesn't matter as long as I'm celebrating with an Apple Fritter. Life has its way of opening up doors of celebration.

While I was in this celebratory mood, I happened to remember that I turn 75 years old this month.

Just the thought of that surprised me and made me pause while eating my Apple Fritter. I did not think I was that old, but reflecting on my journey filled me with gratitude and appreciation for how far I've come.

But 75? That has to be old. I never thought I would get old.

As a teenager, I often made fun of my grandparents because they were so old. Both my grandfathers experienced significant hair loss, while my grandmother's hair was turning gray. I can’t tell you how many times I laughed at them, of course, it was always behind their back. I always wanted to keep in good standing with my grandparents.

As a young person, I always thought getting old was a terrible experience, and I was going to do everything in my power to avoid it.

As I watched my grandparents and saw all the difficulties they experienced with old age, I promised myself I wasn't going to walk down that same pathway. I was going to enjoy life to the very end. Of course, I had no idea what the end was.

I must say that I have enjoyed my life every step of the way. My birthday was just something I celebrated once a year and had nothing to do with my getting older. Occasionally, I forget what birthday I was celebrating.

Often, when scammers call and want to help with my medical insurance, they ask me how old I am. Usually, I answer, "I'm not quite sure how old I am because my age changes every year and I just can't keep up."

Then I hear the magical "click," and they are gone. Hallelujah!

However, as I look ahead to my 75th birthday, I must admit that getting old hasn't been nearly as bad as I had thought. When I was in my 20s, I assumed that when I got to my 70s, I would be in some nursing home and not even know where I am or who I am.

As I continued munching on my Apple Fritter, I just thought about my life, and here I am, soon to be 75, and I have everything I want.

Yes, there are times when I can't walk as strongly as I used to. Sometimes my hip gives away a little bit. The only travel I can afford these days is to my doctor's offices. I did not know how many doctors I was supporting.

I've seen so many doctors in the last several years that I probably qualify for some doctoral degree.

When I see how some older people struggle to walk or talk, I feel thankful for my health and grateful for the family that supports me every day.

I remember a month or so ago, I was sitting in the doctor's waiting room when I noticed people walking past me. At the time, most of them were older people, and some were walking very slowly with canes. I noticed that most people, if they weren't older than me, at least looked and acted older than me.

I let out a sigh of relief and said to myself how lucky I was not to be "that old."

As I finished my Apple Fritter, I continued thinking about my age and the benefits I have of being as old as I am.

First, I'm retired, and I don't have to go to work every day. For about 50 years, I pastored churches, which meant I was at church every day of the week. Now I'm retired, and I don't have to go to any office. My office is at home.

Also, I have Social Security and a retirement fund, so I don't have to worry too much about a weekly salary. I'm not rich, but I have enough to live on for the rest of my life as long as I live frugally.

But there is another benefit to getting old that I hadn't thought about. That benefit boils down to grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. I have nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren at my disposal. I mean, what can be better than that?

All I have to do is tell them Grandma has fresh cookies, and they come right over. I haven't celebrated my 75th birthday yet, but in a few weeks, I will, and I'm going to celebrate as I've never celebrated any birthday in my life. I just hope I remember it. I am happy to be as old as I am, and I'm not sure how much older I'll get, but I'm always going to walk down that happy path.

As I was thinking about my upcoming birthday, I remembered a very interesting verse in the Bible.

“The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the grey head” (Proverbs 20:29).

The older I get, the more wisdom I will have. There is no time in life where wisdom is more appropriate than old age. I’m going to examine my grey hair and see how much wisdom I have.