Ageing proudly

You know, there are these sights that make you feel melancholic and happy at the same time.

I was going for a winter walk with my dog. The fog was so dense that you couldn´t even see the end of the street. Street lights looked as if they were hovering in the air, glowing only to contrast the cold and the dark with the warmth of their light. The fog wrapped houses and cars in a soothing blanket. 

I met a very old dog. That is, I met his owner, but somehow we dog-people define ourselves through our pets. Steve is not Steve, but Trapper, if that´s what his dog is called. Sometimes we wouldn´t even recognize Steve´s face, if we would meet him on the street without Trapper. Well, it is the question who is whose pet then. I suspect my dog to pretend to listen to me sometimes just not to disappoint me. Actually I do pretty much what he suggests most of the time. Back to my topic. So, I met the very old dog. 13 years old, a Golden Retriever. His legs don´t work as they should anymore and he seems to have lost a bit of control over them. Despite his age, he was delighted to meet my little dog, who is as small as the old one´s snout. He started to jump around in a very clumsy way, almost bowling my dog over. You could see that he had a vey happy life in his family. And still has, although his body functions are slowly degrading. I think it is similar with people. If you have a fulfilled life, surrounded by people you love, feeling confident and strong, your stay young and cheerful in your heart, no matter how old you are. 
What does ageing mean, anyway? Why do we try to hide it with so much effort? Aren´t wrinkles interesting, because they mirror what we have lived through? Doesn´t grey hair add a certain kind of elegance to a person? For men we mostly accept that they look attractive with these signs of ageing. Because we know that they mature a little bit later anyway. And because they are not required to be perfect. A clear women - men distinction in our so progressive world. Women should represent beauty and perfection, who needs a display of wisdom and maturity? I like to see the marks of life on people´s faces - how much they have laughed, how much they have cried. I definitely don´t like to talk to a mask created by surgery, which has lost it´s display of human emotions. Creepy. And I don´t like to see beautiful red hair and be surprised by a face of an 80-year-old, when the head turns around. Everything has its time. And instead of enjoying the increasing feeling of self-confidence, experience and of knowing what we want and who we are, we chase the days that are long gone. Every age is beautiful in its way. A pity to throw away any of it.