I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person
I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime
despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the
sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person
that lives in my mirror (who looks like my
mother!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life,
my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As
I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical
of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself
for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for
buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks
so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be
messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon;
before they understood the great freedom that comes with
aging. Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on
the computer
until 4 AM and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the
60&70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost
love ... I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over
a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I
choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They,
too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of
life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the
important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your
heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child
suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a
car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and
understanding and compassion. A heart never broken
is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being
imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair
turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched
into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and
so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less
about what other people think. I don't question myself
anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me
free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live
forever, but while I am stillhere, I will not waste time
lamenting what could
have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat
dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S
STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART! MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF
SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER!

FRIENDS FOREVER!