How do you accept aging and changing abilities?

[marybourg]

3. Everyone struggles with that. A bitter joke I read once:

“Inside every old person is a young person wondering what the hell happened “.

It’s difficult to accept that just yesterday you moved like a fawn, and now like an elephant. The only thing I’ve noticed, and this may not be your friend’s issue at all, is that I came to acceptance after a few months of diminished ability, but my friend, who lives in Independent Living, and sees some people a decade older than her doing things she can no longer do easily, or at all, is having more of an issue than I am. I am pretty much home-bound and see no one to compare myself to.

I read somewhere, and told my friend:”Comparison is the thief of joy”. She agrees, and tries to remind herself of that. But it’s a struggle. I am just concentrating on making my life as comfortable and stress-free as possible. But I know my children will be there to back me up when things get really tough. Without that ace in the hole, I don’t think I would be as placid as I am. Your friend doesn’t have that to fall back on.