In college I was told never to write an “alarm clock opening.” This technique, I was told, is often used in unimaginative beginnings; the protagonist waking up in the morning to start his day and the story.
So why do you care?
Because I’m about to tell you an “alarm clock opening.” Every day I wake up, and after hitting snooze a few times I get up, make coffee, take care of my dogs, and I get to work. I spend my days working (for a great company), in the evening I spend time on my hobbies and with my family. Before I know it, nearly a year has gone by.
Every day I wake up something remarkable has happened. I have grown one day older.
And what is equally remarkable; every other person on the planet has grown one day older with me.
When you are young, it seems, there is this ubiquitous idea that you really don’t start aging until you hit middle age or until you start collecting Social Security.
Not so.
When I look back at the last year I shudder at the mistakes I’ve made, cherish the fond memories, take pride in my accomplishments and look forward to the year to come. By viewing life in terms of this “alarm clock opening” I am incapable of seeing my growth.
Only by cherishing my legacy in the making can I see that I am an elder in the making.
AGNG 200 student at the Erickson School of Aging
To be honest I have been on the same boat as Virgil. The usual scheduled living style where I wake up in the morning and start another busy day like a non stop cycle. As this writer recommends I never took time to appreciate the things around me. Time is uncontrollable and always changing, so approaching it in a way to make every minute every second count is a beautiful way to age. I want to wake up years later and be able to look back and treasure every memory. Every day, every age is a blessing that many people are fighting for and I’,m thankful that I am not one of them. Saying that its important I give time the potential it deserves.
As discussed in my Aging class everyone has the same 24 hours but the difference with all of us is the way we spend those hours compared to others. I have learned that aging is more than just retirement and growing old. Its a graceful process in which the older generations past experiences and lessons pave a brighter future for the generations after. I want to be a grand parent who gives my children and grand children motivation to live for a better them everyday and keep the same attitude ignited in me.
AGNG 200 student at the Erickson School of Aging
I have never thought about aging as in daily life. I was always thinking about aging is still far far away from me, but this blog gave me a time to think about aging more seriously. Nobody can stop aging and time, so we as all people have to prepare and enjoy our lives. If people read this blog and think about aging as a dilay life, everyone could use their “time” more wisely.
AGNG 200 student at Erickson School of Aging
I have had my own thoughts about how we wake up every day and we do not realize how fast time goes. everything else in our lives we have some amount of control over, but time is going constantly and there is nothing we can do to stop it. This relates to our class because it is impossible for us to avoid aging. Time is going if we are ready or not. I think if everyone understood this the world would be much more productive.
This is truly a positive way to think about aging! For younger children, you don’t really consider them aging, but If you think about it logically, we ALL are growing one day older when we wake up in the morning. The only thing is that some people are further down the road than others. Through our daily routines and experiences, we are shaped into a new person every day and gradually we find our own identity while learning what we like or dislike. We can look at every day as a new day where we are more wise and more experienced to make decisions or face new obstacles that come our way. This ties into what we talked about in class about intellectual functioning and wisdom in older people. Although the elderly may be struggling with dementia or illnesses, most have been through many situations in which they can advise the younger generations about how to deal with things. Their wisdom can be passed down, which is why I believe that we should give more attention and care to the older generations, especially in their voice and health. Every human being, young or old, has their own legacy that is worth preserving.
I am an AGNG 200 student at the Erickson School of Aging. I have never really looked at aging as every day you are aging. I was one of the people who have always thought of aging as hitting us in our 50s and beyond. But I agree with this post that every day you are aging as well as everyone else in the world. I believe one should cherish this process because every day we age is a blessing. Although things may change as we age such as not having the same routine or not waking up to the same people, we should always be thankful that we have another day to spread our joy and our love for others.
In my AGNG 200 class we take a look at how sometimes society try’s to avoid the aging process. In reality there is no way to avoid the aging process, because every day we are aging. Our society always looks at the bad aspects of aging, but we never really seem to realize all the positives aging has to offer. It gives us time to reflect on our past. Also it gives us time to share our knowledge and experiences with the younger generation.
I agree that we should embrace the idea that we are aging everyday. It could help society become more understanding of the elderly age group. Instead of worrying about the negative stigma that is attached to becoming an elder, people should think about the benefits. A benefit may be learning about the decisions that we make on a daily basis. By analyzing our decisions, we can deduce which decisions were correct or incorrect and improve upon the mistakes. It will lead to more people making more responsible decisions as an elder to live a successful and meaningful life.
In my AGNG 200 class, we learned about the elderly possessing valuable knowledge that could be passed down to each generation to improve society globally. By analyzing our mistakes, it will refine the knowledge of elders to further improve society.
Many people take aging for granted. It is a fact that everyone, everyday grows one day older–yet there are those who are oblivious to it. I believe that another day of waking up is another precious gift.
As we age, most of us begin to lead busy lives. Once we enter retirement, the person has an option to either sulk in feelings of meaninglessness or participate in leisure activities. Humans continuously seek to find the true meaning in life. In my AGNG200 class, we have learned about the meaning of age. I have learned that aging is more than just developing wrinkles. It is collection of our past experiences and lessons. Based on those experiences, the older generation can shape the younger generation and (hopefully) guide them to a better future.