Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Age is Just a Number

Thought for the dayHow can I possibly be "over the hill" when I never made it to the top?


Sometimes, I actually forget that I'm getting old. I mean, no matter how old you are on the outside, don't YOU still feel young on the inside? So what if the outside doesn't look as good as it did twenty, thirty, forty years ago? I say, avoid those lying mirrors! Got some sagging parts? Parts that "swing"? Eat until the wrinkles fill out! OK, so it may be a little more difficult to deny the creep of age after Uncle Sam starts sending you those  thank-you-God-life-is-good social security checks every month, but for that, I have two little words of advise: direct deposit. (Why be reminded?)

Alas, there are times when the "tra-la-la-la I'm still young" inner child gets a solid kick in the teeth. The best thing to do then is spit out the blood and have a good laugh about it.

Like last summer, when some of our grandchildren were visiting. I convinced my son and granddaughter to spin the jump rope for me. Wanted to demonstrate jumping in. I executed it perfectly, too, and it felt great! Just like being a kid again. But, zippadee-doo-da, my feet went out from under me, and the next thing I knew, my arse hit the driveway like a one-ton sack of potatoes. I thought it was hysterical, but the rest of the family was mortified ... and wouldn't "let" me play jump rope anymore. (spoil sports!)

And a few months ago, while shopping with one of my daughters-in-law, I said something about how all the clothes looked like "old lady" clothes. Then, I laughed and said, "D'OH!" She failed to see a lick of humor in it.

And two years ago, I had an epiphany in a cemetery. The funeral director had set up rows of red-cushioned chairs beside the gravesite for the benefit of the older women in attendance. While the minister talked on and on, (and on) I stood with my husband, shifting my weight from one aching foot to the other, leaning on him, rubbing my back. Then it hit me, and it was all I could do not to laugh out loud. By golly, those chairs were set up for ME! As soon as we got home, I called my friend, and after we finished laughing, we agreed that if she and I go somewhere together when we're in our nineties, we'll still be saving seats for the "older" people in attendance.

So, don't let aging get you down. For one thing, it's too damned hard to get back up again, but mostly, it's because this really can be a terrific time of life. So enjoy it! Let me remind you that ANY woman can have the body of a 21-year-old, if that's really what she wants. But (Bada-BOOM!) she may have to buy him a few drinks first. And ladies, as much as we've grumbled over the years about men not looking at our faces when they're talking to us, it's a little reassuring to know that, even at my age, men are still looking at my boobs. (So what if they have to squat first?)

How about you? Is there sometimes a disconnect between the "real you" and what the calendar tries to tell you? Can you laugh about it? After all, we don't stop laughing because we get old; we get old because we stop laughing.

How about your writing? Do you tend to write about... and for ... people your own age? Younger? Older? Any particular reason?

Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.

8 comments:

  1. The body is a jalopy but the spirit is a brand new shiny red porsche. The only problem is, I can't move fast enough to keep up with myself.

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  2. LOL! You are a hoot, you know that? I just love your take on life. :)

    My MC hasn't even hit 25 yet. Weird, but she speaks to me.

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  3. ROFL! Love this! Your humor rocks. I am really feeling like age has crept onto my face in an unkind way in the last year, and it's bothering me much more than I should let it. You have the right idea and an awesome spirit!

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  4. You get old when you stop laughing.

    How right you are. I stopped laughing about 10 years ago and boy howdy, I look like I'm 20 years older.

    I write about people in their early/mid 30's because that's how old I think I am.

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  5. LOL!!! Thanks for the biggest laugh of my day :)

    I try not to think about my age - which is probably why I wind up getting genuinely shocked every time I have to write it down on some form. :D

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  6. Hi, Ladies. Thank you all so much for stopping by and for leaving your comments. I reeeeally appreciate you guys.

    Karla- Oh yeah, I can relate to having a jalopy body and the spirit of a shiny red Porsche, but that beats having it the other way around. All bright and shiny on the outside doesn't mean anything when you're a hunk of junk under the hood.

    Karen- Well a belated happy birthday to you! I hope you had a very special day, and I hope my post helped lift your spirits. Age really IS just a number. Hang onto that feeling thirty inside feeling. (and if you have to, break the darned mirrors!)

    Linda- Thank you, ma'am. I love your outlook and sense of humor, too.

    Michele- Thanks. I spend as little time as possible looking into a mirror, but I'm a huge believer in using a decent moisturizer on my face. Seems to help keep the wrinkles at bay. Wait, no, not wrinkles ... character lines! Yeah, that's it. (But I don't NEED any more character ... what I NEED is a smooth face!)

    Anne- I sincerely hope you're laughing again. Humor is the spark that keeps us going, and I remember how terrible it was when my mother died, and I lost that spark for a while. It's a dreadful way to feel, isn't it?

    Sam- Glad to make you laugh. Not thinking about your age is a good way to go. Me, I genuinely forget how old I am sometimes, and have to stop and figure it out.

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  7. Went to Grandparents' Day last week at the grandkid's school and noticed that everyone there looked so much older than we did. They were probably thinking the same when they saw us. I was convinced though not to let my hair get white.

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  8. Hi Starting Over. I discovered the same strange occurence when we went to a high school reunion. ("They" were all so ... OLD!)Thanks so much for your comment. I do appreciate it, dear lady.

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