Better with Age

Fabulous photoshoot by Jesse Holland Photography.

They say that wisdom comes with age . . . the older you get, the wiser you are . . . you live and learn . . . experience is the best teacher . . . yada yada yada.

Even though I’m on a quest for simplicity in my life, I hoard quotes. I love the little clichés, proverbs, and other words of wisdom that have been passed down through the ages as well as current stuff people might say that rings true in my life.

Things do get better with age.

It is the old apple trees that are decked with the loveliest blossoms. It is the ancient redwoods that rise to majestic heights. It is the old violins that produce the richest tones.
It is ancient coins, stamps, and furniture that people seek. It is the old friends that are
loved the best. Thank God for the blessings of age and the wisdom, patience, and maturity that go with it.
—Sister Mary Gemma Brunke

With youth comes an idealistic, skewed sense of reality. We feel invincible. We take risks. We miss opportunities. We make mistakes. But we have time on our side, and the future looms ahead like a long, winding road without end.

The process of maturing is an art to be learned, an effort to be sustained. By the age of fifty you have made yourself what you are; and if it is good, it is better than your youth.
—Marya Mannes, More in Anger, 1958

At some point, we grow up. We realize that life is precious and too short to play games. We learn to laugh at ourselves . . . not take things so seriously . . . accept who we are . . . and not care so much what other people think. We relax, lose the drama, mature.

Age has given me what I was looking for my entire life—it gave me me.”
—Anne Lamott

We come to realize that those things we thought were so important for happiness when we were young don’t really matter at all in the big picture.

A man’s age is something impressive. It sums up his life—maturity reached slowly and against many obstacles, illnesses cured, griefs and despairs overcome, and unconscious risks taken . . . maturity formed through so many desires, hopes, regrets, forgotten things, loves. A man’s age represents a fine cargo of experiences and memories.
—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wartime Writings 1939-1944, translated from French by Norah Purcell

Life is filled with mystery and change. The lessons we learn along the way are necessary for growth and transformation—they heighten our awareness and enhance hope and youthful optimism with healthy doses of experience and common sense.

As we age, we are better able to recognize the simple truths lying within that bring true happiness and peace into our lives.

Enjoy today . . . and smile,

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