The LGBT scene often revolves around being young, but Gays.com's sassy senior blogger Brave Heart explains why getting older actually means life gets better and you can start having a lot more fun…
I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be.
Oh, but not my body! I sometimes despair over my body; the wrinkles, the baggy eyes and the sagging butt. Often I’m taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror but the truth is, I don’t agonize over those things for long.
I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life for less grey hair or a flatter belly. As I’ve aged, I’ve become 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 don’t need but looks so avant-garde. I’m 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 4am or sleep to noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful 60s and 70s tunes, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love… I will.
I will walk the beach in a swimsuit 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!
Older and wiser
I know I’m 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’m so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn grey, 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.
Age is not a barrier to being gay and happy (or drinking wine!) Photo posed by models
Positivity reigns
As you get older, it’s 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.
I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I’ve become. I’m not going to live forever, but while I’m still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could’ve been or worrying about what will be.
And I shall eat dessert every single day. If I feel like it, maybe 2 desserts! •
Do you share Brave Heart's enthusiasm for getting older? Or are you terrified of getting wrinkles? Does the gay scene put too much emphasis on youth and beauty? Leave your comments below…
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