The words Aging and Old terrify us. We think: Wrinkles. Saggy boobs. Stooped backs and flaky skin. Approaching death. Isolation and loss.

      We seem to forget that aging is a privilege. Because if you're not getting older, you're dying young.

      The only way to not grow old is to be rid of the blessing of a full life. And that to me is more terrifying than any number of wrinkles that may litter my skin. So, if you catch me fifty years from now, on the beach in a bikini that showcases the boobs that hang down to my navel, I can already say that I will be happy to let my wrinkly skin bask in the warmth of the sun. Because I will know that I am lucky to have reached such an age. Not everyone shares that privilege.

       Every time I hear my mom complain of wrinkles, or see a cosmetology add aimed to slow aging, I think of Brandi Carlile's song The Story, and this lyric: "All of these lines across my face, tell you the story of who I am." It's funny how one simple sentence changed my view on wrinkles. I saw the elderly in a completely different light. Like notches on a calendar, wrinkles present years of life. That's not to say that I won't try to take care of skin. I still value sunscreen and will seek to improve my skin care routine. But when the first wrinkle appears on my skin, I will smile and remember the years that have led to its creation.

       For years, I told myself that I would never work in a nursing home. It was the one nursing related job that I refused to consider. Old people made me sad. But I spent one week of placement in a long term care home, and was shocked by my new perspective. I'm still saddened to see the physical and mental effects of different diseases in some of this population. But there is so much more to them. The wisdom and story-telling. The silliness of behaviors that revisite their childhood. Their values and memories. Pride when speaking of their families. Appreciation for life. Appreciation for things I often take for granted.

       Working with the elderly is an incredibly rewarding profession. Helping to promote quality of life and a peaceful end-of-life is rewarding in a way that I could never fully explain. But even more rewarding, is getting to know my residents and learning from their stories.

       We are all in different stages of the stories of our lives. There is no telling how many chapters we will get. While I love the freedom and beauty of a youthful body, I will try not to fear its loss, as I hope for many, many healthy chapters to come.

When you learn to see beauty in different forms, you realize that aging is beautiful.