Why I Love Getting Older

When I tell many of my friends that I actually enjoy getting older (and most of my peers and I are in our late twenties to mid thirties), the responses I often get are some version of perplexed.

And I get it. We live in a society where aging and getting older are often viewed as negatives. Otherwise, why would we have anti-aging creams and hair products that take our grey hairs out?

But I actually love getting older. Honestly, I do.

But…why? Especially in an ageist society where getting older is often viewed as a negative thing?

Here’s an extensive, but not exhaustive, list:

1. As I get older, I find that I learn more about myself, my passions, and my gifts–thus allowing me to make better, more positive contributions to those around me and the world. For example, a younger version of me did not realize quite how much I love to write, but learning that about myself has allowed me to channel my love of writing more.

2. I also know more about the world around me than I did when I was younger, which allows me to make, hopefully, better-informed decisions. The biggest thing of all for me in this regard is learning who to trust…or who not to trust.

3. And, kind of related to #2, I’ve learned a lot from mistakes I made when I was younger. Sure, I will continue to make mistakes…but hopefully different (and less drastic) ones, with the experience that comes with age.

4. I’m getting to a point where I sometimes find myself mentoring those less experienced than I am. I find the experience of mentoring others extremely rewarding! The stories I have to tell from when I was a younger version of myself are particularly rewarding when it comes to mentorship.

5. I’m at the point of life where my relationship with my parents has morphed from simply me obeying orders to each other sharing tips for how to “adult.” It’s a really cool transformation!

6. Here’s a big one: instead of trying to fight who I am, I’m learning to be the best version of who I am. Which, in turn, means that I think my mental health now is in a better place than previously. After all, learning not to fight who you are makes a huge difference!

Now, I get why getting older can feel tricky or difficult for some of us. For some of us, getting older can remind us of opportunities we missed when we were younger, aches and pains in our bodies can remind us of our aging bodies, and long layoffs while people half our age are consistently advancing in their careers can really mess with us. And these are all fair things to feel! 

But also, it’s by no means a requirement that getting older has to feel like a negative experience or be a negative experience. And, if nothing else, I hope that my outlining some of the reasons I love getting older can be a reminder of that.