"Let's face it: It's just about as likely that I'll become calm, serene, and dignified as I age than it was that I'd be prim, proper, and sweet in my youth. Those were always lovely fantasies--for somebody else. But like charming dresses that would never flatter me, I don't fit into these patterns. They weren't designed with me in mind."
"I've decided, rather than becoming contemplative and introspective as I age, to become more disruptive, seditious and boisterous instead. Not only am I not going gentle into that good night, I am not going gracefully into that late afternoon. I intend to go as gentle as a mastodon stuck in a tar pit. I want to be one of those women who brandish a cane."
A life lived with enthusiasm, courage, raucousness, and passion refuses the expectation of aging into calmness, serenity, or dignified comportment. Traditional images of growing old gracefully are described as ill-fitting fantasies that were never designed for this temperament. Plans include becoming more disruptive, seditious, and boisterous rather than contemplative or introspective. Intentions feature conspicuous choices: brandishing a cane rather than using it discreetly and carrying a flask to produce when desired. Personal style and deliberate irreverence are embraced as authentic expressions that will intensify rather than diminish with age.
Read at Psychology Today
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