Aging - good or bad?

[Alceste]

In general, I'm enjoying my age. I would not return to my twenties for any price. There are things I worry about though. I'm pretty much too old to have kids now but I still sometimes get asked for ID to buy booze. That's a strange phase to be in. I'm a much better musician than I was twenty years ago, so it's easier to get gigs, but it's ten times as hard to find other musicians who might want to tour with me. They've all got jobs, families, and other commitments. The other night, I felt a strange new pain that felt like it was in my wrist bones after a gig, and started to worry about arthritis.

Anyway, I kind of get where you're coming from. My job is also sort of a young people job, and I'm more likely to live out the rest of my days teaching or composing for other people's projects than performing. On the other hand, it's pretty amazing to be alive at all, so I try not to waste my short time on earth being irritated about the details of the process.

 

[SageTree]

Nearly a week of being 31... and I haven't fallen to pieces yet

 

[Revoltingest]

Nearly a week of being 31... and I haven't fallen to pieces yet

That's cuz yer still a baby!

 

[SageTree]

That's cuz yer still a baby!

It is true... but not everyone can be as old as you.
So I guess my opinion is going to have to matter a little,
if this conversation is to carry on.

 

[Me Myself]

aging can be both good or bad depending on who is aging
Generealy, it is both

 

[JayJayDee]

See, that sounds like the stuff of horror movies to me. My grandma once told me that when she looks in the mirror, it suprises her a lot, because her image of herself is still what she looked like when she was 20, and she doesn't fully recognize the face in the mirror as hers.

I know how she feels.

In our minds we don't age....just in our body. Why do we think the cosmetic industry, plastic surgery and anti-aging products are sooooo popular? We can't really fool our body clock though. :faint:

 

[Debater Slayer]

Aging - good or bad?

Hard to say at this point; I'll have to decide later.

(As in, much, much later. )

 

[MysticSang'ha]

The comments here are wonderful. Thanks, y'all!

BTW, the knee is still weak and wobbly, but no redness and the swelling is down. I think it's inflammation from typical wear and tear on the knee joint. Wednesday night was probably my body yelling at me "REST, HEATHER!!!"

I anticipate I'll be back to my normal routine by next week. I'll be teaching and guiding rehearsals this week though, but more with communicating verbally than physically, which has always been a challenge for me. I feel like I communicate better through movement, so this is an adaptation that I hopefully won't screw up beyond all recognition.

This is when I'm grateful for my graduate work in LMA - it gives me a vocabulary to use. Otherwise, I'd be screwed as a mentor. At least by my standards.

 

[BSM1]

Aging is neither good nor bad--it's inevitable. As I am now a lot closer to going than coming, I find that many things that I once thought I could never live without are now fairly inconsequential. Enjoy the ride.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I'd say age is good because you're growing, but as you grow older you're less energetic, so the half of your life is the best age; that's the point where you're the most grown while being the most energetic at the same time.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

My knee has healed quite a bit as of today. I went for my daily walk with my doggie (in 27 degree (F) weather whoot!)...and it didn't hurt at all. Slowly easing back into my yoga routine as well, and the look of it is back to normal. No swelling whatsoever.

My best guess now is that it certainly is an age thing. Wear and tear on the joint, and needs more TLC than the young folks need on theirs.

Which leads me back to musing on aging as a dancer. My desire to continue to move is tempered by my ever-increasing awareness of all the sensations in my body. I don't jump headfirst into movement anymore. I take a little more time taking inventory of what parts of my body is supple and strong enough to tackle said movement. If it isn't, I know exactly what to concentrate on.

I have to agree with many responses here that I wouldn't trade the 40-year-old dancer for the 20-year-old dancer for any amount of money. I know myself much better, and I know how to respond to my audiences. I also know my audiences better. What really is exciting, though, is the more I continue creating productions, the more I learn. I think I'm pretty good at what I do, so 25 years from now, at our studio's 25th anniversary in business, I'll look back on my 40's and giggle at how naive I will have been (jeez, is that even good grammar?). And the studio will have a LOT of wisdom working for it.