I ran across this old story recently, and reading it again instantly made me feel spry. I hope you enjoy it.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, most like the person I have always wanted to be. Sure, sometimes I despair over the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging chin. In fact, often I am taken aback by noticing that old person in my mirror, but I don't agonize over it.

I have a wonderful life and would never trade my amazing friends or loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. I've become kinder to myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need but looks so avant-garde on my patio. I am entitled to overeat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I can say “no” and mean it. I can also say “yes” and mean it.

Great freedom comes with aging. Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 a.m. or sleep until noon? I will walk the beach in a swimsuit that is stretched over a bulging body and dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the bikini crowd. They, too, will get old!

As I become older, it is easier to be positive. I 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 because it has set me free.

I genuinely like the person I have become. I won’t live forever, but while I am still here, I will waste no time lamenting what could have been or worrying about what will be. Today, I wish you a day of ordinary miracles and the unexpected freedom of aging with joy.

For more information, please contact: Gino Pezzani.