An overview of a senior citizen's view of their own "coming of age".
FACT - People age at different rates and in different ways depending upon a person's lifestyle and genetics.
So much can and has been said about a person’s “coming of age” - when we attain the age of accountability, sprout wings and go out in the world on our own and become responsible for our own decisions and actions, and find ourselves on the verge of discovering life’s unknown wonders. At the opposite end of this equation is another “coming of age”. Those people over the age of 50 years old … who find a somewhat different “coming of age” than their younger counterparts.
Those of us who have reached our Golden Years have found on more than a few occasions that the mind is willing but the body just says, “Are you kidding?” Yes, we find ourselves on the downside of that adage “coming of age” – especially the age part. When the knees and the back just won’t take the long hours of working, standing on your feet to do laundry, wash dishes, or ironing (does anyone really do that anymore? I have no idea WHERE my iron is!), or lifting what we used to lift without assistance. The eyes aren’t quite as sharp either, even with the help of bifocals at 10x the power! Then, there’s our hearing. Yes, sometimes our hearing really is selective. It’s one of the few perks of aging so you don’t have to respond to every stupid question or comment directed at you, then you can blame it on your age! But for the most part, we really just can’t quite make out the sounds and can’t bear to give in to the reality of wearing a hearing aid on top of everything else. Of course, then there’s the hair – well, my hair has been blonde for as long as anyone can remember with a few white ones that look almost like they were put there for highlights at the temples. Instead, it’s the mere fact that those hairs are white because they have become mortally resistant to any hair dye I’ve tried since my 40’s!
One of the first visible signs of aging can be the change in a person's facial appearance. Especially, the inevitable wrinkles! A question I’ve often pondered is, who came up with calling those darn lines around my eyes and mouth – laugh lines? I don’t think I laughed or smiled THAT much to cause such permanent indentures in my skin – does anyone? Anyway, I guess it’s just another excuse. When I think back of all the beautiful days at the beach, with the sun beating down and warming my body against the cool, salty waters of the Gulf of Mexico, I certainly wouldn’t have guessed this would wreck such havoc on my skin later in my life! After all I did use baby oil with a touch of iodine for color! What was wrong with that? At least I had some color! Then, there’s the weight gain. Well, everyone knows that as you get older you get more of a sweet tooth, right? I never really liked desserts before until I hit my sixties! Must be the hormones … yeah that’s it!
Someone asked me a few years ago if I had a “Bucket List”. Well, I hadn’t really thought about one until they made it seem like I was short-changing myself by not having one! After all, I had raised two boys (and, yes they even survived!) thru teething, learning to walk, K – 12 years, Little League Football-Baseball-Soccer, Tai-Kwon-Do, puberty & teenage years, graduations from high school & college, military service, marriages, and grandchildren, all the while being a wife, working full-time and successfully climbing the male-dominated ladder to a Senior position! Should I think that climbing Mt. Kilamanjaro, zip-lining thru a jungle, bungee jumping, parachuting, or traveling to Tahiti would make my life any more worthwhile or complete? I think not. I’ve enjoyed my life and I’m enjoying my retirement! I now pursue my hobby of photography, attempt to write my life’s novels, and enjoy my grandchildren (especially since I can spoil them, fill them with sugar and send them home to their parents – Karma, gotta love it!). I get up in the morning when I want to (usually early since old habits are hard to break), stay up late at night, no longer dread Monday’s, and I no longer own a pair of pantyhose! I’m more spontaneous because I have the time now to go and do whatever I feel like doing that day! Bucket list? Who needs it!
Yes, this is a different “coming of age” that I plan to enjoy until the day I can’t any longer! Now, pardon me while I dig my toes into the sand a little more, put some more SPF 80 on my body (yep, I’ve learned my lesson!) and could you pass that bottle of wine in the cooler? Thanks and I’m sorry, did you say something? My hearing isn’t what it used to be, Darling. Teehee, my bad!
A wicked Cajun Fairy named Robes Pierre entered the impenetrable Magical doll land of Sha Bebe. Queen Faustina, the ruler of the doll land, thought she had destroyed him, but he's back! Will the doll land survive his evil ways?
FACT - People age at different rates and in different ways depending upon a person's lifestyle and genetics.
So much can and has been said about a person’s “coming of age” - when we attain the age of accountability, sprout wings and go out in the world on our own and become responsible for our own decisions and actions, and find ourselves on the verge of discovering life’s unknown wonders. At the opposite end of this equation is another “coming of age”. Those people over the age of 50 years old … who find a somewhat different “coming of age” than their younger counterparts.
Those of us who have reached our Golden Years have found on more than a few occasions that the mind is willing but the body just says, “Are you kidding?” Yes, we find ourselves on the downside of that adage “coming of age” – especially the age part. When the knees and the back just won’t take the long hours of working, standing on your feet to do laundry, wash dishes, or ironing (does anyone really do that anymore? I have no idea WHERE my iron is!), or lifting what we used to lift without assistance. The eyes aren’t quite as sharp either, even with the help of bifocals at 10x the power! Then, there’s our hearing. Yes, sometimes our hearing really is selective. It’s one of the few perks of aging so you don’t have to respond to every stupid question or comment directed at you, then you can blame it on your age! But for the most part, we really just can’t quite make out the sounds and can’t bear to give in to the reality of wearing a hearing aid on top of everything else. Of course, then there’s the hair – well, my hair has been blonde for as long as anyone can remember with a few white ones that look almost like they were put there for highlights at the temples. Instead, it’s the mere fact that those hairs are white because they have become mortally resistant to any hair dye I’ve tried since my 40’s!
One of the first visible signs of aging can be the change in a person's facial appearance. Especially, the inevitable wrinkles! A question I’ve often pondered is, who came up with calling those darn lines around my eyes and mouth – laugh lines? I don’t think I laughed or smiled THAT much to cause such permanent indentures in my skin – does anyone? Anyway, I guess it’s just another excuse. When I think back of all the beautiful days at the beach, with the sun beating down and warming my body against the cool, salty waters of the Gulf of Mexico, I certainly wouldn’t have guessed this would wreck such havoc on my skin later in my life! After all I did use baby oil with a touch of iodine for color! What was wrong with that? At least I had some color! Then, there’s the weight gain. Well, everyone knows that as you get older you get more of a sweet tooth, right? I never really liked desserts before until I hit my sixties! Must be the hormones … yeah that’s it!
Someone asked me a few years ago if I had a “Bucket List”. Well, I hadn’t really thought about one until they made it seem like I was short-changing myself by not having one! After all, I had raised two boys (and, yes they even survived!) thru teething, learning to walk, K – 12 years, Little League Football-Baseball-Soccer, Tai-Kwon-Do, puberty & teenage years, graduations from high school & college, military service, marriages, and grandchildren, all the while being a wife, working full-time and successfully climbing the male-dominated ladder to a Senior position! Should I think that climbing Mt. Kilamanjaro, zip-lining thru a jungle, bungee jumping, parachuting, or traveling to Tahiti would make my life any more worthwhile or complete? I think not. I’ve enjoyed my life and I’m enjoying my retirement! I now pursue my hobby of photography, attempt to write my life’s novels, and enjoy my grandchildren (especially since I can spoil them, fill them with sugar and send them home to their parents – Karma, gotta love it!). I get up in the morning when I want to (usually early since old habits are hard to break), stay up late at night, no longer dread Monday’s, and I no longer own a pair of pantyhose! I’m more spontaneous because I have the time now to go and do whatever I feel like doing that day! Bucket list? Who needs it!
Yes, this is a different “coming of age” that I plan to enjoy until the day I can’t any longer! Now, pardon me while I dig my toes into the sand a little more, put some more SPF 80 on my body (yep, I’ve learned my lesson!) and could you pass that bottle of wine in the cooler? Thanks and I’m sorry, did you say something? My hearing isn’t what it used to be, Darling. Teehee, my bad!
