A few weeks ago, I was chatting with a younger friend (and by younger I mean mid-50s), about a dinner party she had recently enjoyed with some older friends (and by older I mean mid-70s). At this soiree the conversation turned to all of the things the older crowd wished they were doing better. Eating more protein. Exercising more strenuously. Losing more weight. Taking more supplements. Fighting sagging jowls and widening hips. Sleeping without pills and staying awake during evening television. It seems everyone had a gripe about something they weren’t getting quite right. Some expectation they were not living up to. Some ideal they had not yet accomplished.

And my friend thought with despair, “These guys are all in their 70s! And they are still not happy with themselves. When do we finally get to be good enough?”

What an astounding question!

When do we finally get to be good enough? At what age do we stop clamouring for perfection and settle into imperfect contentment? Does it ever happen? Or are we the products of lifelong conditioning? That persistent voice telling us day-in and day-out that we should do better. Be better. Act better. Eat better. Sleep better. Do EVERYTHING better!

I believe that even the laziest sloths among us are guilty. Guilty of self-deprecation. Personal belittlement. A constant need to announce to the world that we KNOW we should be trying harder. Even when we’re not. As if making that pronouncement might somehow be enough and allow us to abdicate the responsibility of actually DOING whatever it is we think we SHOULD be doing.

But here’s another concept. How about we all strive for unmitigated self-worth. Self-love. Self-acceptance. How be we all embrace that at a certain age we are not only allowed but encouraged to slide into our final chapter without being perfect. We don’t need to bemoan every flaw nor do we need to publicize every failure. We can simply run with, “I’m doing the best I can do today and I will try again tomorrow.” We can take a break from striving, starving and suffering and simply enjoy our days with pure consent. We can grant ourselves permission to be imperfect. Damn, I mean I think when you get to official senior citizenhood you should be able to relax a little and lighten up!

I can only imagine my younger friend’s dismay at the prospect of aging with such a fierce agenda of self-improvement. That’s not to say we can’t all accommodate some renovation. A little change, some positive development and cultivated growth are all good things.

So is a healthy ego. Peace of mind. Acceptance. Even relief!

So … when are we finally old enough to be good enough?

The answer is … NOW.

Now is the time. Because only YOU can decide when you are good enough. Why waste another moment when a million more moments are not guaranteed? Let’s not take a single one for granted. And let’s decide whole-heartedly that we ARE, indeed, good enough.

Right. Now.

For God’s sake, we’ve got to give those 50-year-olds something to look forward to.