Getting old is no fun. Joints creak a bit, metabolism slows down, and you can’t always remember why you went upstairs. Then, there are people who mention how cool your grey hair looks, or how the music always seems so loud at your house. And as soon as it’s dark out there, all you want to do is stay home. Can anybody relate?

I have three smart, beautiful, successful children who are in their thirties, and I admire their stamina and their thought processes. Actually, I sometimes wonder how it is possible that these amazing people came from my womb.  They are sharp, interesting, and able to do so many things that I actually don’t understand. They also tackle an unbelievable amount of projects at once with a level of energy that I forgot was possible. And I am not a weakling, mind you: I wake up quite early and run a demanding, successful business. But in reality, it’s nothing compared to what my children are able to accomplish on a daily basis.

And to tell you the truth, I was a bit jealous… until the other day, when sitting in our sun room, we got talking, my husband and I. We talked about our children’s lives, their accomplishments thus far, their dreams and the possibilities that lie within each one of them. We smiled, paused with comfortable silences, and smiled some more. The conversation moved on to where we are at this stage of our lives, and we pondered our aging bodies and minds, and the future that isn’t quite a long as the past–on this side of heaven at least. And as we talked, the words took us along a different path, and we considered age versus youth, and what makes one desirable compared to the other.

And we concluded that age, it really does have advantages, the greatest one maybe being the lessons that life has taught us. Our kids make wise decisions, and they reap the benefits thereof, but yet, there is a layer of the decision making process that they lack at this point, regardless of how mature they are. And this one layer, it only comes from putting in the time. You can’t learn it from books. You might believe older people who tell you about it, but you still don’t “get it” until you yourself have gone through what time teaches.

Time teaches that every moment counts, and the string of moments make the necklace that we proudly or shamefully wear. And that necklace, it only is because we lived the moments and it is those moments that brought us to here, and there is no hurry at all. And there is no turning back, because you can never erase any moment. All of your choices make you who you are, and that necklace, you have to wear it whether you like it or not.

And yes, absolutely, my kids would say they understand and agree, but still… only time lived makes this real to us down to our toes.

And that is the advantage that time gives.

Sometimes, I link up with any or all of these wonderful writers: Hearts 4 Home, SDG, Hearts Reflected, WLW, EOA, Things I can’t say, Growing Home, Play Dates with God, Monday Musings, Hear it on Sunday,Inspire Me Monday, Tell me a Story, The Better Mom, a Mama’s Story, Into the Word, In and Around Mondays,OYHT, Gratituesday,Titus2Tuesdays, Extraordinay, Lessons from Ivy, Denise in Bloom, Sweet Blessings, Faith Filled Friday, Finding Joy, WholeHearted Home, Mom’s the Word, Reclaiming a Redeemed Life, Still Saturday, Wildcrafting Wednesdays