“Love like youth is wasted on the young.”

                       (Love is Lovelier the Second Time Around)

Like most people in my generation, the renowned Baby Boomers, I don’t feel old.  Could I say then, that I think that youth could be overrated? And that there is a value in being seasoned, wise, even experienced?

Sometimes I feel jealous of youth, of the smooth unlined faces, the sheer beauty of young people, and especially of the young bodies that don’t hurt like mine often does.

 Being young again—what a frightening thought! Would I really want to try to figure it all out again? What will I be…who will I marry…will I marry…who am I?

I hate the way youth is used to sell everything from cars to cigarettes. It speaks to me of our culture’s love affair with youth.  And it really annoys me that most ads featuring people in my age range promote products like adult diapers, pain medications and fiber. Or conversely, they feature older people who are obviously made to look younger and almost maniacally happy as they dance the night away.

The scariest ideas? The never ending desire to look younger: Botox, Lasik, liposuction, words that didn’t exist when we were children are part of everyday speech now.

Now that I’ve matured to the “Cool Jazz” radio station, I think that I have embraced aging, with all of its unknowns: aches, pains, and losses. What I want most now in this  third age is the freedom to pursue interests I’ve put on hold  in the past, to spend time with interesting people, and to age gracefully. And I truly believe that anything is possible.  I can develop latent talents and enjoy finding out who I am now. Yes, I can redefine myself.

I intend to surround myself with other Baby Boomers who feel like I do. And to embark with them on this are great adventure called aging.