Get on in years

An elderly lady sticking her tongue out.
(Photo: Edu Carvalho/Pexels | Text: David/ArtisanEnglish.jp)

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English Phrase: Get on in years

As you begin to get on in years, you realize you can blow a raspberry at the world and get away with it.

Young people, I should say younger people because we’re all young at heart, are continually striving to meet the expectations of others.

I’ve come to realize there is freedom in getting older.

Each birthday is not just another year.

It’s experience gained, lessons learned and the knowledge that most of our time spent worrying about things we cannot change is time wasted.


To get on in years means to grow old.

I like that definition – to grow old – because the term to grow gives a positive image.


We all want to grow.

Businesses want to grow bigger, people want to grow wealthier and wiser, and young kids want to grow older so they can be like us older folk.

These are all positive aspirations.

As I turn 46 years old today, I can look at myself in the mirror and realize that I have accomplished all three!

I am bigger than I was (my doctor keeps reminding me).

I am richer than I was (the taxman keeps taking it from me).

I am wiser than I was (my memory keeps failing me).

Finally, I am older than I was (my wife keeps saying physically but not mentally).

In my 20s, I thought 35 was going to be my best year, and then it would be all downhill from there.

Now, I’m 46, and I’ve realized the best is yet to come.

Next year, I’ll be bigger, wiser, richer and still not act my age.


Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test

This post is understandable by someone with at least a 7th-grade education (age 12).

On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 80.

The higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100, the easier the passage is to read.


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