Better or Worse

I recently had a friend ask me a simple question: Is life getting better or worse as you get older? Interesting questions ... I guess I have a mixed answer for this question.

I think my life is better because I'm older and wiser - I may not know all the answers, but I'm better prepared for finding the answers than I was when I was younger. My children are grown and they are 3 beautiful, healthy girls, so I guess I didn’t screw them up too much. The older two are planning weddings and the youngest is preparing for a summer at the Governor’s School of the Arts, so I am extremely proud of all three. And I have the prospect of grandchildren to look forward to.

My relationship with my wonderful hubby is even better because we have more time for each other. Over the past 25 years, our lives have been intertwined with love, work and parenthood, so it is great to get back to the relationship we had in the beginning, focusing on ourselves as a couple.

I am also retired from a job I hated (RN) and I'm now able to write more than ever - this has been a huge improvement for me. Granted, we don’t have the kind of money we used to and we are on a very tight budget, but my mental health is better, so this is a huge plus for the entire family.

On the other hand, some things in my life are worse. I'm not as fit and healthy as I was in my 20s - health issues seem to creep in every day. The society we live in is much worse over the past 20 years and this have impacted negatively on many aspects of life.

For the past four years, I’ve been living under the foggy cover of grief and it has been extremely hard to pull my life back together. I am nowhere near being back to the emotional state I was in four years ago, but I can say I’m better than I was six months ago and that is a baby step in the right direction.

I can say that I love my life! I may not be as active as I once was, but I am now able to pursue my dream of writing and this makes me a happy camper. My children are self-sufficient and leading happy, productive lives and this makes me a happy camper. My hubby has stuck with me through thick and thin, sickness and health, richer and poorer, and he still loves me unconditionally, and this makes me a happy camper.

Just because our lives are continually changing, doesn’t always mean they are changing for the worse. Sometimes changes are for the best … it is change that makes the world go ‘round.