Dear Editor,

Having seen the topic of growing old in the last issue of your magazine (issue No. 21.), I felt that I must share my opinion with you on that highly polarizing matter.

Admittedly, the majority of people would like to stay youthful, healthy, beautiful and energetic forever; however, sadly, it is impossible. In my humble opinion, aging does not necessarily mean only negative concepts like being ill perpetually, looking totally unattractive and feeling absolutely pessimistic or disillusioned.

As a matter of fact, I know many elderly whose appearance is neat, and they really enjoy their retirement ages as they say it is the period of their life when they have enough time for everything they want to. They are not forced to work, they can manage their time appropriately, they are able to cherish their sweet little grandchildren, etc.

Let me give you some concrete examples. My mother has been a pensioner for approximately two months and she has just taken up a new, creative hobby. She is fond of making stylish patchwork for her acquaintances and she feels that she can create something meaningful with the help this entertaining free time activity. However, there are other older people in my hometown who usually perform folk dances in Hungarian embroidered folk costumes whenever a public ceremony is held in the settlement. Not only can they be a part of a closely-knit unit and feel a strong sense of community spirit, but they can also preserve our old Hungarian culture and transfer it to younger generations.

To cut a long story short, I blindly believe that if you have a clean bill of health when you are growing old, you can have a purposeful life which is full of gorgeous inspirations, and you can definitely be a meaningful part of the society. 

Best Regards, 

Sarah Smith, a reader of yours

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