I have never been one to stress a great deal about age. To me it always seemed a rite of passage to hit a new decade. Clay and I seemed to do things a bit backward, beginning our family while our friends were still in college. Coaching little league with our kiddos while our friends were just getting married. Going back to college to finish out a degree while our friends were just starting families, and celebrating weddings and grandchildren as friend's children were graduating high school. Maybe that is the reason age has felt so insignificant.
,Granted I love the advertisements that say "50 is the new 30!" And I am certain most of us tend to buy whatever product that advertisement is pushing. My generation has seemed to lessen the signs of aging compared to those of the past. My grandmother was mortified at the sight of a grown woman wearing long hair, and now women my age go out and buy extensions to add to the length even more.
Regardless of how much moisturizer we slather on, it is not like we can escape the outcome of opening that mailbox and pulling out the envelope from AARP. Their data base must be huge because every friend I know has received the same letter within 72 hours of their 50th birthday event. And nothing seems more poignant than that sweet little note saying "You have arrived."
Another issue with growing older beyond those tiny lines in the mirror is the revelation that we begin to lose loved ones in a generation just beyond us and even those among us. When we were in our 20's and 30's those rites of passage seemed generations away as great grandparents and grandparents passed, but as we age this begins to be a rude awakening. We hear about a neighbor having a massive heart attack just down the street and then realize he is only a year older than your husband and only 23 years older than your oldest son. In those moments we are hit with "where does the time go?" It passes.
As all women in those middle stages of life do, I still get a little knot in my throat when I see an advertisement or come across an old photo that reminds me of my sons being tiny tots running around the house pretending to be Power Rangers and sneaking cookies before dinner. I miss the chaos, the mess, and the bills. And then I look around my clean house with nice new furniture, a television all to myself, and one rotisserie chicken that will stretch us for two nights, and being in my 50's is pretty nice. My mother-in-law always said, "God knew what he was doing when he made young mothers."
We adapt as the years pass and we commence to grow old gracefully, accepting that which we cannot slow down and finding gratitude in all we have been given. This all came to mind the other day when I was at my favorite resale shop buying a second hand Christmas tree for my yard because women my age have time to do these things.
The young girl checking me out said, "You know it’d 20% off for Senior Citizens today." As I unloaded my buggy I nodded looking behind me to see who she was talking to, and then I realized it was me. So I asked her how old I would need to be, being that she obviously thought I looked like a Senior Citizen. She said 55. Then I completely understood she believed I looked 55 years old, so I assured the young girl who must be a bit embarrassed. I said, "Actually I will be 55 this month. So, do I get the discount?" She said, "Are you 55 yet?" I said, "No, but I will be this month." And she said, "But you are not 55 yet." (even though to her I obviously looked 55) So, I handed her my cash and said, "I don't like you. You're rude." And then I left. Here's to growing old gracefully. That little girl has no idea how fast her next 25 years will pass.
