October 1 is the World Elderly Day, and sure it must be much celebrated, and with lots of enthusiasm and joy. Wanna know why? Well, for the elderly, "zindagi such much me badi hoti hai", and in all senses of the term "badi"! Want a translation? Well, "for the elderly, life is indeed big", and in all the senses of the term because as an elderly person, life is truly great, grand, and gorgeous.
Sure, what Virginia Woolf said of women authors absolutely holds true of the elderly. You need both, a room of one's own, and a decent financial security. If you have both in a worthy measure, elderly-dom is the great golden era of your life.
Why? For one thing, you are rather mature and quite wise. The silly tantrums of youth pale before your quiet dignity and witty joie de vivre. In any situation, sad or sweet, you know by now that "this, too, will pass". That unique equanimity adds a special grace to your very being.
Given the awareness of the imminent finality of life's dead end, you are so very happy chasing so many dreams that you hardly have any time left to be mean or vicious which you anyways never were, not even during the so-called heydays. Instead, given the intense bursts of creativities, every day gets celebrated like a festival.
Age is indeed a number! The bodily weaknesses/aches/pains, you can easily fix with multiple remedies. Alternative therapies are yours to try as anyways there is nothing much to lose your sleep over the side-effects. May be, for many an elderly, anyways, losing sleep is so much a routine that it hardly matters!
Indeed contentment is so dominant a feel that the youthful pitying or snide swipes appear rather funny, quite cheap. As for looks, currently dyes to botox, all types of silly solutions are abundantly available, if you so wish. Personally, I feel the original tenderness and compassionate smile that grace your elderly face is the best makeup.
Being elderly, in brief, is not a loss of youth. It is a novel search of newer selfhoods. Well, a sunset is much mellower and more beautiful than either the blazing afternoon sun or the dim rays of the sunrise, right? Long live elderly-dom!
Pratima@ A ripe mango has its own unique sweet taste that no green fruit can ever match!
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