I want to age like sea glass, smoothed by tides, not broken.
I want the currents of life to toss me around, shake me up
And leave me feeling washed clean. I want my hard edges to
soften as the years pass — made not weak, but supple.
I want to ride the waves, go with flow, feel the impact of the
surging tides rolling in and out.

When I am thrown against the shore and caught between the rocks
I want to rest there until I can find the strength to do what is next.
Not stuck — just waiting, pondering, feeling what it feels like to pause.
And when I am ready, I will catch a wave and let it carry me along to
the next place that I am supposed to be.

I want to age like sea glass. When people see the old woman I'll become,
They'll embrace all that I am. They'll marvel at my exquisite nature,
hold me gently in their hands and be awed by my well-earned patina —
neither flashy nor dull — but just the right luster. And we'll both feel lucky
to realize, once again, that we have landed in the perfectly right place
at just the right moment.

I want to age like sea glass. I want to enjoy the journey and let my
preciousness be, not in spite of the impacts of life, but because of them.


This poem first appeared in a longer version in the Huffington Post (2014).
Used here with permission.