Reframing Aging

What if getting older was a gift rather than something to dread?

I’m writing from Baja, Mexico where I’m attending a workshop at the Modern Elder Academy, which exists to help people navigate the second half of life. I connected with MEA in January when I took a sabbatical and stayed at a friend’s house a few miles from the academy. I immediately fell in love with their founders and the work they are doing here.

Because American society denigrates and demonizes aging and bombards us with messages about how to “stay young” (whatever that means), many people view aging with dread. We often associate it with loss of relevance and value. The idea of respecting elders or seeking out the wisdom of elders is something that rarely occurs to many people, especially if they are white. (I point this out because I think white people can learn a lot from BIPOC culture’s about valuing the wisdom of elders.)

To be fair, part of the reason t…