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[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=joy&iid=5271682″ src=”2/5/e/4/portrait_of_a_bf05.jpg?adImageId=12705212&imageId=5271682″ width=”380″ height=”380″ /]“You don’t know what you have until you lose it.” Boy did that adage fall on deaf ears in my youth.  Well, I’m starting to understand it now.  My body is getting a little older, just as all those wise adults said would happen one day.  My mind may be a full-fledged adult, but my body has become an impudent teenager.  She talks back when I tell her to do something, flat-out refuses to complete assigned chores, and ducks out early when I ask her to hang out late, claiming she’s “too tired.”

Sometimes I get a little depressed over my defiant body and fondly remember the times when I could fit in a full day of school and activities, have energy to spare to go out with my friends, and the brain power to ace a test the next day on a few hours sleep.  Although I’m not jealous of that kind of schedule anymore, the thing I miss from my younger years is never experiencing stiffness, soreness, aches, and pains that accompany life in general.  Man, those were the days.

Do you find yourself resenting the things you’ve “lost” and muttering those five words above?  We all have those things we used to be able to do, things we took for granted.  Some of us lament our past vibrant health, feats of greatness, popularity, freedom, or lack of responsibilities.  Since growing up, moving on, and getting older are inevitable facts of life, perhaps a better way to look at this situation is to focus on what you have now that you didn’t in your glory years.  Maybe you’re a whiz at juggling multiple tasks at once, can whip up a gourmet meal in minutes, or know how to live fabulously on a budget.  Perhaps you’ve found your passion career, are an inspiring leader, or are known as the person “that can get it done.”  Maybe you have laser focus or impressive problem-solving skills.  How about those of you who have found your soul mate, the person who knows you better than you know yourself?  Or you proud parents who consider raising your children an absolute joy and adventure?  Would you really want to go back to your youth and give all that up?

Let’s concentrate on what we have now that we didn’t then.  Let’s bring our focus to the skills/people/wisdom we presently have that we would never trade in.  When you think about it that way, you’ll realize you would rather be who you are right now, than go back to your teenage years and lose all that accumulated life knowledge.  It puts things in perspective, doesn’t it?  I’m not saying that we can’t have it all, but there are just some things that aren’t going to happen.  So the next time my disobedient body starts mouthing off, I’ll smile and thank her for sticking with me for 33 years and doing an outstanding job. I’ll focus on the positives…that should shut her up.