There’s a lot of hatred for aging. And sometimes, quite disturbingly, that becomes hatred for the elderly. But there are a lot of very happy old people. And, while I’m certainly quite young, I have a lot of peers who are already quite distressed about their age. Time is passing fast, and that ain’t gonna change. Looking the other way is much more likely to turn you into a miserable old folk than a happy one. Figuring out how to age when you’re young seems wiser than waiting. Unfortunately, you might have to wait a while to know if it’s helping, but you’ve gotta try.

But getting older can be really cool. And I think, perhaps, finding joy in the following will make growing up very worthwhile:

• sharing things you love.
• rediscovering things you love, as memories fade and you get to reexperience things thanks to the passage of time.
• seeing how people build on what you worked on.
• fostering crossgenerational relationships (just as important when you’re young, too).
• build up goodness and kindness and knowledge.
• watching kids grow up. especially your own if you can have them.
• teaching. In particular, hoping your pupils outshine you.
• watching people achieve things you could’ve never dreamed of.

Age brings illness, weakness, and all kinds of things, and I wouldn’t diminish it. But I would hazard to say that this list of things can be genuinely worth the pain. learning to rejoice in others’ achievements and nurturing them may not be something everyone knows how to enjoy, but it is always something worth learning to enjoy.