Growing Older by Jan Darnell

“Grow old along with me. The best is yet to be.”

Robert Browning

Have you ever heard someone say, “I really enjoy growing older?” Probably not. Particularly disturbing are the wrinkles that furrow spontaneously overnight and body aches forecasting your retirement, or even worse, a forthcoming expiration date. And what about the escalating memory challenges, “Who am I again?” And the degenerative hearing, “What did you say?” These deficits speak merely to a few of the by-products of aging.

For instance, on several occasions, I realized that I was searching for my cell phone while talking on it. Another time, I attempted to turn a night light on while holding it my hand. After replacing the bulb, I moved the switch to ON, but the light remained OFF. God, in His mercy, sent an angel to suggest, “Try plugging it in.” Oh. I hope that only one angel was privy to that revelation.

Lately, I have begun to carry a note pad with me to keep from forgetting where I am supposed to be, when I am to be there and what I am expected to do. Of course, keeping up with the notes necessitates remembering where they are.

So, what does Robert Browning mean when he says, “Grow old along with me. The best is yet to be”?

I don’t think Mr. Browning was talking about the wrinkles, arthritis, dementia and proliferation of notes beginning to clutter my desk. Neither do I think he had the senior discounts and free coffee in mind. By the way, I think that free coffee is intended to keep seniors awake behind the wheel. Not a bad idea.

Browning, however, might be referring to the simpler lifestyle that is consequential to aging. Life does have a way of streamlining as age increases. Yes, I would say there are definite advantages to juggling a handful of tasks rather than a plethora of schedules requiring complicated charts and timeline grids that highlight pending deadlines. Micromanaging gradually fades.

More opportunities then present themselves to notice God’s creation, such as the birds and butterflies, beautiful sunsets, and gentle breezes that reposition your hair while relaxing on the back porch. You become more aware and poised to thank God for life’s blessings, the beauty of simplicity and absence of stress. Sound good? It is.

Gardening now appeals to me: the orchestrating of flowers, seasonal colors and spreading of perennials across my yard. Like a painter balancing her canvas portrait, I have begun to add hardscapes that bring character to our vegetable and flower beds. We have an old farmer’s plow and water pump sitting by the vegetable garden and towering bird houses guarding the flowers.

Our friendly North Carolina birds also enjoy a brown ceramic birdbath to refresh themselves in when they come to dine. We have selected several feeders for them to choose from depending on the type of seed they prefer. It is sort of a bird paradise, a haven of rest.

We also have a scientific book that identifies these fascinating visitors. Our entire family enjoys viewing and recognizing them by names that no one attempts to pronounce. Recently, a black bird flew in, marked by bright yellow and red stripes on its wings. It appeared tropical to me at first, but our book of ornithological information identified it as the “red wing black bird,” (common name) a local species. I had hoped it was a rare exotic bird that heard about our bird paradise and flew across the ocean to become acquainted. I guess not.

We have identified many other birds, such as doves, house finches, yellow finches, Carolina finches, cardinals, sparrows and brown thrashers. The thrashers dig into the ground like they haven’t eaten for weeks, throwing pieces of mulch to the left and right until food is discovered. What a hilarious sight!

Now, I know that gardening, bird watching and relaxing may sound old and outdated. If so, then you are probably too young to relate, which is fine. Enjoy your youthfulness. Yet, regardless of how young you are, you are growing older every day. That is fine too. That’s the point. God is good. Life is good, regardless of our age.

But I think when Browning says, “Grow old with me. The best is yet to be,” he is referring to the things in life we ignore when we are young. They are discovered when growing older.