Mama’s face measured a mere 3 inches from the bathroom mirror, fingers grasping metal tongs pinching and plucking scraggly white hairs at the edge of her chin, punctuated by a visceral “ouch.”
I watched with confusion, wondering about this weekly — sometimes daily — routine. Is this what I had to look forward to?
Mirroring Mama, I now pinch, pluck and “ouch” weekly, always accompanied by a chuckle of remembrance. Smack-dab in the middle of this aging process, I had become my mother, and for that, I am beyond grateful.
Although grumbling about the downside of aging — holding rails to descend steps, attempts to smooth wrinkled skin, the tough task of opening jars and countless others — I watched my mother live her long 96 years with integrity, joy and purpose.
It seemed that as the years progressed, her contentment multiplied. Those pesky white hairs never won.
Regardless of the totality of years, aging reaps a gratefulness of every moment not available in other seasons of life. For Laura McConatha of Atlanta, “I have found a joy and peace unlike anything I’ve felt in earlier years.”
Once the national program director for the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, McConatha’s tenure with the organization not only taught her about the caregiving journey but also the aging process. Caring for parents who both died from Alzheimer’s disease, she understands the winding and bumpy road map of aging — a journey that occasionally ends unexpectantly or one that lingers for years.
McConatha remembers the inspiration and lessons of Rosalynn and her husband, former President Jimmy Carter.
“Throughout their lives,” she says, “they were powerful role models for living a long, purpose-filled life. I believe that they woke up every morning feeling there were still important things to be done, and they committed themselves to doing as much good as they could for as long as they lived.”
As you age, recognize that you still have so much to contribute to the world. Nourish your body, heart and mind. Never limit or rob yourself of opportunities that have yet to be revealed.
Travel to those bucket list places. Try yoga, art, poetry, dancing, singing or hiking. If you have mobility issues, read or listen to audiobooks, learn a new language, watch the birds out your window, even container gardening or Zoom get-togethers.
Aging is a gift. Regardless of the fates that go hand-in-hand with the accumulation of years, the blessing of time reinforces possibilities and outweighs those inevitable pesky chin hairs.
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