Getting old is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Some friends say, “It’s better than the alternative!”—but that’s not true, according to a couple of friends who’ve had near-death experiences. During the few minutes they were “dead on arrival” before being resuscitated, they say they experienced the most joyous and peaceful feeling. For them, suicide can seem like a tempting path when life becomes especially hard—because they know just how wonderful it is on “the other side.”

But I, who will soon turn 88, feel that every single day, life just keeps getting better. I’m crazy about getting old. It’s wonderfully fun! And here are just a few of the thousands of reasons why life improves with age:
You can get away with saying almost anything. As a younger person, I was often chastised for speaking without thinking. Now, when I do the same thing, people just shrug and say, “Well, she’s just an old fart…”
You finally have the leisure to enjoy life—to smell the roses. As much as we may have wanted to slow down and savor life when we were younger, there was never enough time. We were burdened with jobs, children, and caring for our aging parents.

Granted, these were burdens we took on with love. But they consumed all our time. Now, we’re able to read the books we set aside years ago. We’re traveling to foreign lands, learning new languages. We have time to try new recipes, bake new pastries, and invite friends over. Senior centers offer fascinating classes for a nominal fee. And if we planned well, all that scrimping and saving is finally paying off—we no longer cringe at splurging on theater tickets or wedding gifts.

As young people, we were plagued by questions: Who are we? How do we measure up? What talents should we pursue? What career path should we take? Who should we marry? How will each decision shape our life? How do we please our parents when their hopes conflict with our own dreams? Growing up was full of anxiety and self-doubt.

Now we can look back and say:
“Hmmm, I did a pretty darn good job raising my children.”
“Hmmm, so glad I married this person instead of that one.”
“Hmmm, although I think this new generation is going to hell in a handbasket, I KNOW that people two thousand years ago felt the same way.”

So maybe this wired generation—who’d rather text than talk—will turn out just fine.

I’m thrilled to be alive at a time when hearing aids let me understand what people are saying, without shouting “Eh? Eh?” all day long.

I’m grateful for my double bionic knee replacements that let me climb the Alhambra in Spain, and for my recent hip replacement that allows me to walk without pain.

I’m pleased we now have laws that protect older workers from discrimination—so I was able to continue teaching into my early 80s.

And I’m delighted to live in the computer age. When I forget the lyrics to a song, I just type in the first line—and there it is, right on the screen!

For me, old age is truly miraculous.