In a culture obsessed with youth and beauty, it’s good to be reminded from time to time about the grace and wisdom of the older population. Mary Pipher does just that in “The Joy of Being a Woman in Her 70s”. A small excerpt:
By our 70s, we’ve had decades to develop resilience. Many of us have learned that happiness is a skill and a choice. We don’t need to look at our horoscopes to know how our day will go. We know how to create a good day.
We have learned to look every day for humor, love and beauty. We’ve acquired an aptitude for appreciating life. Gratitude is not a virtue but a survival skill, and our capacity for it grows with our suffering. That is why it is the least privileged, not the most, who excel in appreciating the smallest of offerings.
Appreciating “the smallest of offerings” is a skill and habit that everyone, regardless of age, could benefit from cultivating.