The Good News About Growing Old.

An important factor as we age is that we become what we were, but more so.  Probably cranky senior citizens were always cranky.  How you adapt to aging is entirely up to you.  How you will behave when older is a reflection of how you behave now.  Now that's something to think about.
As we get older we suffer losses: independence, youth, choice, role as a provider, career, relationships and support.  The good news is that older adults take pride in the wisdom and experience that they have accumulated over the years.  They draw strength from this knowledge and select adaptive strategies to compensate for, and cope with, stressful life events.  Lost roles are replaced with new ones and new friendships are made.  There is freedom from the stress of the workplace and time to pursue activities that they haven't had time for in the past.  I am so impressed by the busy, active, bright retirees I have met since I retired and hope that I can keep up with them.