Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Is There Sex After 60?

It is sad and deeply unfortunate that “sex” and “loving” have become four-letter words. And for those of us, a little long in tooth and past most stages of youthfulness, they have become what only blurring memory can recapture.

Or so many assume. But for some couples who have passed their 60th birthdays, this age-old practice, originally thought by some only worthy of procreation, can continue for recreation, transcendence and comfort. It is also one of the best reasons to remain alive and to continually celebrate the reason that love created couples in the first place.

Growing old does not mean growing cold. Physical beauty may slowly merge into the reality of years, but real beauty – your beauty and my beauty – is created by our beloved. If we are so fortunate to still hold him or her in our arms, the love and sex and mutual compassion can remain as fresh and bright as when we first looked into each other’s eyes.

All we need do is look into our own heart. Re-examine what caused us to be struck for the first time by our lover’s incomparable beauty and attractiveness. Often, it was an attraction, no, a collision of minds, brains, emotions, star-crossed spirits, attracted to each other no matter who we were or what we looked like.

Our essential selves, like the stars, never fade. If we’re lucky, and if we gain the wisdom to see it in each other, we then are as young as time. And when we come together, after the dishes are washed and cat put out, we can blaze again in our mutual glory with a loving that need not ever cease.