Might as well feel good about aging. Everybody’s doing it. They always have. And we have thoughts about this.

Recently, we read: According to “Ageing planet: the new demographic timebomb,” more than half the members of Japan’s notorious “yakuza” crime syndicate are over 50. Veterans over 70 outnumber veterans in their 20s two to one. And in France, the retirement age has been raised from 62 to 64 in hopes of easing the strain on the pension system.*

And so it seems to go: All over the world, people are getting older.

Sheesh.

Thanks for noticing. People who were younger now aren’t.

Also, cheers to aging. Boo to ageism.

Plus, by acknowledging how ordinary aging is, it squelches the chagrin.

Ideally, people get old.

The grandson went from three to four with unmitigated, room-brightening, wide-eyed glee. Three was “meh.” Four was everything.

To him aging meant he was finally getting somewhere. Thus, the exuberance. And while we can’t quite match his elation on our own birthdays, we’re holding tight to his notion that aging is growing. It’s an idea that far surpasses what we older adults are so often confronted with — that as you age, you lose ground. (We’re looking at you, companies that won’t hire older workers or train middle-aged employees.)

Nope, we’re growing. And no matter how we appear, inside us live ever-aspiring souls eager to discover, learn and practice. We still love a next chapter, a vista that surprises and the enthralling possibilities of doing what we couldn’t do before. We’ve got the constant tingle of a four-year-old’s glee combined with the savvy, dexterity and lived experience accrued in decades of growing up.

We’re getting somewhere.

And there are lots of us, all eagerly watching how governments and organizations around the planet adapt to aging populations in this modern world.

“Finding money to pay for the care of older people involves reallocating resources, which is usually painful,” the article says.

But we’re so worth it.

Read more.

*Peruse the Guardian article.

Monty & Easton are long-time Rally friends with something to say about aging.