On Growing Old

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about growing old. Maybe it’s that I’m approaching my 30th birthday, or that I’ve finally returned to the states and become a bit more sesshaft. Maybe it’s two family members passing away recently, one of which was tragically too soon. Whatever the case, the process of aging and eventually passing on is something we all must go through, and I guess I’m in a reflective mood, so buckle up. 

I believe it important take your whole life into perspective from time to time and imagine yourself towards the end of this life. Not to obsess over growing old, but just to be conscious of how your life is changing over time, and to recenter your life on things important to you. When I do that and picture myself as an 80-year-old fart sitting in my reading chair somewhere a few things come to mind: 

1.) Work is work, nothing more. I enjoy my job. I enjoy my coworkers. I do my best and would like to progress in my role because it’s always good to give yourself a bit of a challenge. But I will not ever forget that life is lived outside of work. It’s not your identity. It’s not something to measure your self-worth by. Take a step back and see that living your life is what’s important. 

2.) Live where (and when) you are. This one is admittedly easier said than done, and something that I am currently struggling with having moved back to the United States. This is when I tell myself that the grass is always greener wherever you water it. I can choose to be miserable in my current situation, or I can find the beauty in it. I can (and probably will forever) bemoan the car dependency we have in the US, our ridiculously complex and expensive healthcare system, our apparent lack of a work/life balance, etc. But I can also celebrate the goofy and somewhat unvernünftig mindset of Americans. I can be grateful that I live less than a five-minute walk to the ocean. I can appreciate the fact that I live right outside one of the world’s most impressive cities. 

3.) Most importantly – you are never guaranteed tomorrow. This has been a big reason why I have constantly moved around the way that I have. I have no idea what my health (or the world, for that matter) will look like in 30+ years. I only have today. So experience the things you can when you have the opportunity to do so. 


So here’s to growing old and making the most of each decade that greets you, and remember what’s important to you when they do. 


P.S. New York is kinda cool. Come say hi sometime!

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