TODAY's Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb have been an open book for America — not shying away from revealing their weight, going make-up free on-air and even revealing some very personal information. They chat with TODAY.com about their thoughts on aging.
Best thing about aging
Kathie Lee: The best thing about aging is you’re still here. If you’re not aging — last I looked — you’re gone!
Aging is part of life and those who try to avoid it are only going to become more and more unhappy as they get older. Would I like to see a new wrinkle? Nobody likes it.
Let God define who you are, not the state of your face or your body. We all come from dust and end up as dust, but I think we’re beloved dust!
Another thing I like about aging is my children are aging as well. It’s so fun to watch them develop into the people God intended them to be. One day I hope to be a grandmother. There’s always tons to look forward to.
Hoda: The best thing about aging is you don’t worry as much as you used to. When you’re younger, you think everyone is looking at you. In reality? They’re not.
When you take the focus off yourself, you are freer. You have fewer worries and fewer concerns. You realize people aren't as critical of you as you thought. Even if they are critical — who cares?
READ: Hoda on post-cancer body image: 'You live your life and carry it with you'
I don’t care about wrinkles. I have them. It shows where you've been. (I call them laugh lines!) I feel like I earned every one of these. Check ’em out! I am not filling them up either!
You have to live in your own skin. You have to be happy with who you are. There’s a freedom that comes with it.
Worst thing about aging:
Kathie Lee: The worst part is if you feel like you've run out of time and you’re wasting your life. A lot of people live with tremendous regrets. Nobody says on their deathbed, "I wish I worked more". Maybe I wish I worked more at that relationship or being a better mother or friend.
I think you have got to live in the present moment. Whatever God gives you, use that time wisely. See your trials as treasures because you come out of them a better and stronger person.
Hoda: You realize how quickly time flies by. Suddenly you look at your niece and she’s seven years old. She was just born! How did it happen?
Time is more valuable and precious because you have less of it. You don’t realize you have less of it until you’re older.
When you're younger, you're always looking for the next thing. Then you realize what you have is now. It's like you're in a speeding car. You drive by it and suddenly you're at the next winter already.
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