Over the last few days, I’ve had occasion to make clear to people that I am not as young as they think I am. Because I’m not young at all, and definitely not as young as they imagine. And I’ve noticed how annoyingly people fall all over themselves to assure me that no! I’m not old, why would I say such a thing?!
Sigh. I understand that we’ve all been trained to fear and revile aging. I feared and reviled it, too, for a time. But I’m definitely not there anymore. As I like to say, I’ve earned every minute of this age, and I embrace all of it. I am enjoying almost everything about being old. One of the things I enjoy most is calling myself a crone (that is, truly, a post to itself, but just know that I couldn’t love it more). Calling myself a crone sets other people’s hair on fire. The way people react when they hear it, you would swear that I was slapping myself in the mouth and spitting in my own face when I say it.
I don’t run around shouting about my great advanced age, but I don’t hide it, either. And, when people try to discount my ideas or minimize the issues I raise because they assume they have lived longer and experienced more than I have, I throw my age around (like a morningstar) to shut them up. They shouldn’t be discounting or minimizing the thoughts and ideas of younger people, either, but they for-sure shouldn’t be doing it to me. Full stop.
The AI Assistant’s review of my post: The content reflects a strong and confident attitude towards aging, and the use of the term “crone” is intriguing. The post could be improved by adding some specific examples or anecdotes to illustrate the author’s perspective on embracing age. Additionally, exploring how the author’s experiences have shaped their views could make the post more engaging and relatable.
“Intriguing.” Ha! See, even the bots struggle with “crone.” 🙂
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if you want kin, you must plant kin ... 
I can relate, although I don’t usually call myself a crone. I actually had to look up the word to ensure I understood the meaning. Thanks for teaching me new vocabulary. I love that you ran your piece through AI and if gave you some feedback. I am always trying to better understand and use AI. I wonder what it would say about my pieces.
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I think I’m probably being a little presumptuous, calling myself a crone, but I’ve been waiting for it for so long! Maybe I’m a “baby crone,” or a “crone in waiting” or some such! 🙂 The AI feedback is funny. Another slicer had mentioned it a week or so ago, so I thought I’d give it a try.
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YES. We all need more of this! I thoroughly enjoyed this reflection on age and your embrace of what we as a society have only been taught to fear and avoid. May I be just as accepting, joyful, and wise as you when I advance more in years!
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I hope you will be, too! Thanks for reading. 🙂
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I go for “old Fogey” to describe myself. And, compared to me, you are a young whippersnapper. To be young, hang around with people older than you.
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Ha! Yes, my friends in their 80s make me feel young. 🙂 But when I taught high school, the teens made me feel young, too, somehow. Go figure!
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“As I like to say, I’ve earned every minute of this age, and I embrace all of it.”
I want to adopt this philosophy and live it! As a fellow ‘older’ person I often struggle with not being young any more and your post was instructive and forward-thinking. Grateful for the sentiment and the self-awareness.
The AI feedback is something I might look at but I’m old so probably won’t get around to it. ;0
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I sometimes struggle with not being young anymore, too. At the same time, I really am embracing my aging. Somehow, it balances. I’m glad you were encouraged by my post. Thanks for reading! 🙂
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I also had to look up crone to get the nuance of the meaning.
Getting older is a blessing, for sure. I love this enthusiastic embracing of aging. It’s wild that it’s such a radical idea for so many.
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I love using the word crone. It feels like a gorgeous, midnght-blue cloak studded with moonstones and aventurine. I love getting to slip it over my shoulders. 💛
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