What it feels like to be elderly and experience true freedom

An elderly lady recounts that one day a young man asked her a question that was at once innocent and meaningful: “What is it like to be old?”

“I was very surprised by the question, as I didn’t consider myself old, even though I wasn’t foolish enough to think I was still young,” she says.

When the young man saw my reaction, he immediately felt guilty, and I understood that it was a harmless question. So I continued, explaining to him that it was an interesting question that deserved an answer.

After reflecting, I came to the conclusion that aging is a gift just as youth, years ago, was a challenge, not only with grace but also with battles that had to be faced and wars that had to be won.

Sometimes I’m surprised by the person I see in the mirror. But it’s been a long time since I’ve worried about such things.

I wouldn’t trade everything I have for a few fewer gray hairs or a flatter stomach. I no longer scold myself for not making the bed, for eating a few extra “little things,” for glancing at a handsome man, or for desiring the presence of a beautiful soul.

I have the right to be a bit messy, to be extravagant, to spend hours gazing at my flowers, to be myself in every bit of wisdom or folly to enjoy what I want, even if someone else may not like it.

I have seen dear friends leave this world before they had the chance to enjoy the freedom that aging brings, to fully experience this gift of time, to arrive at that point where everything is left behind, where one’s mission is considered fulfilled, where you live with yourself and for yourself without giving explanations, without allowing anyone else to do your accounting.

“KORÇA BOOM”