Autonomy - One Holds On As They Reach the End

As we age, the bodies and minds that we inhabit no longer feel as able to act and make connections like our youthful selves once could. Aging requires an acceptance that our autonomy is no longer as self-reliant as we have learned all our lives. We hold on to ourselves as long as we can, working harder to accomplish the same tasks that used to be automatic. The slipping away of abilities feels like a loss of self. With reflection, however, we begin to accept that the loss of our abilities does not take away our autonomy but changes it. We can make peace with change and recognize the need to rely on others having spent a lifetime learning how to be ourselves.