"I do not think of old age as an ever grimmer time that
one must somehow endure and make the best of,
but as a time of leisure and
freedom,
freed from the factitious urgencies of earlier days,
free to explore
whatever I wish,
and to bind the thoughts and feelings of a lifetime together."
American-British neurologist and writer
I feel the energy of this quote from Sacks' piece, "The
Joy of Old Age," in the New York Times on July 6, 2013, read it here
Sacks, who turned 80 last year, of
course was aware that his life “is almost over,” and he didn’t shrink from
acknowledging the physical and health realities that alter life as we get
older.
I am drawn to his outlook because
it elevates one’s willingness to make a life, even make a new life, at whatever
age.
Sacks offers one recipe for giving
full voice to “the thoughts and feelings of a lifetime.”
I think Walt Whitman heard the same
drummer:
“I celebrate myself, and sing
myself . . .”
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