Aging Gracefully… And In Wisdom

This is sort of a translation of a beautiful poem from a legend in Quebec, Félix Leclerc. The poem, in French, is called: “Vieillir en Beauté… et en Sagesse“.

“It is not because I’m an old apple tree that I give old apples!” ~ Félix Leclerc

To age gracefully is to age with one’s heart,
No remorse, no regret, no glancing at the clock’s art.
Forge ahead, cease to be fear’s counterpart,
For with each age, a happiness imparts.

To age gracefully is to age with the physique,
Keep it wholesome inside, radiant, unique.
Never surrender in the face of effort’s mystique,
Age has naught to do with life’s oblique.

To age gracefully is to lend a helping hand,
To those lost in the wilderness, unable to withstand,
Who’ve lost faith that life can be grand,
And that there’s always someone to understand.

To age gracefully is to age with a positive stance,
Not weeping over yesteryear’s romance.
Take pride in the white strands,
For happiness, still, time commands.

To age gracefully is to age with love,
To give without expecting from above.
Wherever you are, as dawn unfolds above,
There’s always someone to greet and speak of.

To age gracefully is to age with hope,
Content with oneself as night’s curtain drops.
And when the point of no return elopes,
See it as a “farewell,” not a final stop!

Do not regret the passage of years,
It’s a privilege denied to many, it appears!