Pat Bean's blog

Aging my Way

I’ve long been a fan of Jenny Joseph’s poem Warning, more commonly known by its first line, “When I am an old woman I shall wear purple.”

Besides declaring that she would wear bright colors, Jenny also declared that she would sit down on the pavement when she was tired, go out in her slippers in the rain and make up for the sobriety of her youth.

The poem was written in 1961 when Jenny was just 28 – and I was just 22.

Today, I am that old woman. In my closet hangs a few purple garments, but instead of sitting on the pavement, I sometimes sit on the rollator I began using a year or so ago to get around with. The seat especially comes in handy while birdwatching, or stuck in a long line.

Meanwhile, since I am 84, one of my resolutions for 2024 is to free myself from my own and others’ expectations.

I will write what I want without a self-censor looking over my shoulder.

I will walk my dog in the rain – and go back to bed on cold days.

I will buy flowers for myself.

I will stop feeling guilty for telling people “No.”

I will finally accept that I can’t do it all – and try to accept help graciously.

And I will fill my days with doing the things I truly want to do – even if they’re silly and ridiculous, like wearing one of my favorite Tye-Dye T-shirts to a formal event.

My thinking is that since I’m not yet ready to stop getting older, I might as well reap the benefits.

Happy New Year to all!

Pat Bean is a retired award-winning journalist who lives in Tucson with her canine companion, Scamp. She is an avid reader, an enthusiastic birder, the author of Travels with Maggie available on Amazon (Free on Kindle Unlimited), is always searching for life’s silver lining, and these days aging her way – and that’s usually not gracefully.