This post grew from a request made by a family member many months ago, but now seemed a fitting time to share some thoughts since the hubby’s birthday is tomorrow. 😉

Actually, what really made me want to share my thoughts on aging was the recent announcement by Allure magazine that they will no longer use the term “anti-aging.”

Not that I’m big on fashion magazines or anti-aging remedies, but I fully support this decision. I think there’s a lot to be said about aging—which is why I’m going to say it.

Some Honest Thoughts on Aging

In the years and months leading up to my 30^th birthday (I’m 33 now), I felt a lot of anxiety, dread, regret, and comparison.

I wrongly believed that 30 was going to be a devastating end to my carefree 20s, and I felt that my life was nowhere near what I’d envisioned it would be when I was younger. I suffered from a major case of the comparison trap blues!

Needless to say, 30 came and went (and some big life events happened!), and I can honestly say that I am more content now than I was in my 20s.

And it boils down to a little something I read years ago:

Aging is a privilege denied to many.

In case you missed it—aging is a PRIVILEGE—that not everybody gets to enjoy.

Aging, something natural and inevitable, is something we should look forward to. It’s something we should embrace, because, frankly, I’ve known too many people—people my own age and much younger—who’ve died young.

Friends from high school who died from chronic disease or in devastating accidents.

Sons and daughters of childhood acquaintances who never got to celebrate their first birthday.

Coworkers who were in the office one day and gone on what seemed like the next.

We all age, but we should see each new year as a gift.

Each new year is a gift. #aging #antiaging @allure_magazine Share on X

Every grey hair, laugh line, and extra pound around the midsection is proof of a life well-lived. They’re the physical evidence of each accumulated year of wisdom, each heartache-taught lesson, each uncontrollable fit of laughter, and each new and exciting venture that ultimately shapes who we become.

Why wouldn’t you want to age—and age well?

Not going to lie, aging can be difficult. Risks of disease increase. Our bodies and minds change. And we face new and real struggles that we didn’t see in our younger years.

We see relationships fade—or abruptly end. We lose jobs, and say goodbye to loved ones. And we see heartache through a whole new wide-angled lens.

But there’s a flipside. We get to watch our children grow into their personalities and start families of their own. We finally save up enough money to travel to the destinations we always dreamed of seeing. And we get to grow into the old couples we imagined we’d be on cold December nights when relationships were new and anything was possible.

I never want to be anti-aging.

Sure, I’m vain sometimes. I cringe every time a new grey hair crops up. I examine my cellulite and love handles a little too closely, and mourn the things I’m no longer able to do with ease (or at all—I’m talking about you, pull-ups).

Like anybody, I want to look and feel my best for as long as possible. And yet I want to age—with grace, and with the loves of my life next to me along the way.

Society is anti-everything these days.

We see it in the news—we’re against opposing views and voices. We pit “good” foods against “bad” foods. We discriminate against the differently-abled, the old, the young, the black, the white, anything that falls outside the “norm.”

Well, I’m here to tell you—and to remind myself—that negativity breeds negativity. And so much life is gained when we embrace change and growth and banish “anti” from our thoughts.

If you find yourself stuck in the muck of comparison or feel ashamed of where you are in life, remember “aging is a privilege denied to many.”

You have the opportunity—the days, the months, the years—to learn and reshape your life into what you want it to be. Don’t take it for granted!

Aging is a privilege—and we should never promote anti-aging… #TOL @allure_magazine Share on X

[linking up with Amanda for thinking out loud]

So tell me…

• What do you think about Allure’s decision to stop using “anti-aging?”
• Have you ever dealt with fears regarding aging—and how did you overcome them?