Have you ever wondered or been curious about the life of a Senior Citizen or how your life would be when you reach the 60s, 70, 80, and maybe 90s.. I am sure many of us have never been curious about such people … I have been and seeing my grandparents, then parents and then slowly myself moving towards the half century mark in life I got more curious …and imagined myself as a “Senior Citizen”.

The time has come earlier than I expected, my first innings of life were coming to an end, and soon I would be entering my “Second Inning”. Many thoughts clouded my mind, many apprehensions surrounded me… but in the end I learnt to accept it with grace and maturity and make the best of life….

I began to see “Growing Old” as not meaning my life is over, as a senior citizen, time is all mine now so I began seeing it as an opportunity to do all i wanted to do in life.
As George Bernard Shaw said, “You don’t stop laughing, when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing”
Given a choice no one wants to grow old, as someone told me the other day, “It’s just a number”. Personally, I hate the term “Senior Citizen and Old” cause for me age is always an issue of mind over matter, “If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter”

Since aging is something we all have to face one day it is better to face it gracefully than fight it. Always live like “King Size” and do all the things I never had the time during my working and family years….it could be cooking, drawing, reading, singing, music dance etc… like how I persuaded my husband to start singing, even if at times I have to hear him sing loudly at home without a care in the world at least I know he is loving it.

Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been. The way I see it every year can be a bran new journey, just think about it .You get only one chance to be 25, 39, 44, 61 and every age before and between, so why wouldn't you want to experience all the wonder in each step on your path.

So, when and where do I begin is the question, maybe from the day my kids became adults or maybe when I became a grandparent its then that the mind begins to think “Hey, I am over the hill now” and I started feeling it too.
This is the time when I am free and no longer burdened with responsibilities and demanding career. A lost feeling sometimes takes over me when I take a walk in the park and look at people of same age and ask myself “Are they looking older than me or am I getting Old?”

The time has come to make new beginnings in my second inning of life. I decided to make a wish list of all the things I always wanted to do before I left this world, it could even be like bungee jumping, scuba diving, climbing Mount Everest. Start off with new hobbies, join workshops and groups like reading club, dramatic club etc. Do things that make me happy and keeps me busy, true I may not be able to do everything the way I used to do but the more I engage myself in new things and activities my life will become more meaningful and happier.

So, I started by fighting fatigue and laziness and that long afternoon naps which is so common when I felt nothing is awaiting me. Play word games, start enjoying my own company, do anything and everything that keeps my brain working and active. 

Aging never stops me from learning, “there is a lot of valuable gold from experience that comes with the silver in the hair” Break all boring routines and make life interesting and enjoyable. As I began to move on in life, I began to appreciate differing things which I may have ignored before or taken for granted. I always believed that there is a wonderful future and loads to learn and experience daily beyond the certainty of growing old and ending our days on earth, and it is up to me how to I use the time and manage these years in my second inning with grace, poise, dignity and fulfilment.

Remember Growing Old doesn't mean feeling old, you should always feel your at heart, behave like a child and feel like a child. Age is no barrier it is a limitation you put on your mind.

In the end, I recalled the lyrics of this song, and every time I hear it I feel a beat in my heart, “ Ladakpan khel main khoya, Jawani neend bhar soya, Budhaapa dekh kar roya, wahi kisa puraana hai, sajan re jhoot mat bolo, khuda ke pas jaana hai”