Life's lessons with aging: Harder, easier or different.

Getting older is such a strange thing, even the society itself has its way of reminding you that time is no longer on your side. During childhood we do think we have all the time on our side, thinking there's time to still get things done/fixed. isn’t it? But in the next minute we take a glace at the mirror to check ourself out and begin to wonder how time flies, noticing all the changes in our body, that gray hair and all. We decide to sit or bend and we have to stastart pleading with that knee of yours to give away, while remembering those times you sit and bend and do all without stress.

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Now, for me, getting aged/older, on one hand is the sweet relief of no longer caring about some of the petty things I used to. You know during/the younger days, one would have to worry about how he/she look, who likes them, if they achieving enough. But with time/age, you start realizing that the only competition worth winning is the one between you and your yesterday. The freedom in that is priceless. And on the other hand, you have the weight of responsibility growing heavier, this is not just about ones life, talk of the family, ones community and the expectations society has placed on one since birth.

Something's also funny about aging, you would think now life should or will get easier, since now one is wiser, of a truth though, one has become wiser, but it foes comes with receipts.
All the lessons one has leart while growing stretches one cause it is tied to the various experiences one has seen and been through. There's the loss of loved ones, there's various disappointment that makes one question his/her decisions and the constant reminder that ones time us folding up. The pressure can be overwhelming, especially when the whole world seems to measure your success by things like marriage, career, or kids.

If life becomes harder or easier as one age depends on how one views it. I have the believe thathat lifee doesn’t really get easier, we just become better at handling it. You dont get freak out for little mistakes again, aging teaches one patience. When I was younger, I felt like every mistake was the end, but now, I realize mistakes are just part of the journey. Life itself is messy, and it’s in the mess that you grow. Though responsibilities increases as one get older, thebills, family, career and all, there's also gain this sense of control.

One of my favorite things about aging is the confidence that comes with it. Then you know yourself better unlike when you are younger and still trying to find oneself so as to be able to fix into the society. But with age, one breaks out of those things. You no longer pretend to like something you actually don't, you stop explaining self and apologizing for existing the way you do. And that’s a kind of peace that money can’t buy.

Aging also teaches you to laugh at yourself atimes, for instance you catch yourself scolding some young children with the phrase “when I was your age…” and you immediately feel ancient. Or when you realize you’ve started enjoying the same Nigerian proverbs your parents used to annoy you with. It is then one realize what ones dad or mum was going through them and we thought they were too exaggerating old age with how they tend to call you to do every single thing for them.

Lastly, aging is a gift, even when it feels like a heavy one, though it (aging) may bring its share of struggles, it also brings clarity, gratitude, and strength. So, how do I feel about getting older? I feel humbled, challenged, and grateful. Life doesn’t always get easier, but it becomes deeper, and more meaningful as we become more wiser. And I think it definitely is worth it.

There are various entries organized by @leogrowth.
This post is an entry to day 25 of #januaryinleo in #inleo,I am inviting you to also check it out,so as to partake in various interesting writing prompts.

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