“The great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been.”
– Madeleine L’Engle
Madeleine makes an excellent point. So often, I see an older person at the airport or at the grocery store, and that’s all I see. The person looks wrinkled, slow and seemingly lost.
But that ninety-year old has so many stories to tell. I’ll bet he was once a third grader anxious for the recess bell to ding. Perhaps he was a soldier protecting his homeland. My guess is, he fell in love and married and had children, then grandchildren, then great-grandchildren. Think of all the times he laughed. By this time, he has felt the pain of losing close friends and relatives who shaped his life as he shaped theirs. My hunch is, he has a favorite song in his heart.
Yet, today I look at him, and all I see is an old man.
Then, I study the backs of my own hands. I see little cracks and faint brown spots I never noticed before. They make me smile. I also remember the sweet sound of the recess bell.