Young At Heart? Ever so slowly it creeps up on you by the second, minute, month and oh, so many years! It arrived in the mail, non-descript until I opened the envelope. No, I didn’t “win” anything. Rather, I had just received my red-white-blue Medicare card! There it was staring at me; I stood staring back at it. In a few months I will turn 65. Excuse me? I can’t be “that old”, or can I? I still have stuff and treasured memories of my life: as a child, pre-adolescence, a teenager, doing silly and stupid things, college, jobs, getting married, 2 beautiful daughters, divorce, a single parent, becoming an entrepreneur three times, moving twice, and all the struggles, learning, and happiness that began the day I was born and is continuing on as I create and live the final acts of my life. Wow. Do you remember when you were younger and you would look at your parents or grandparents and think, “My, they are old”! Or did you wonder at age 23 what it would be like when you reached the age of 54, let alone 65? You couldn’t even imagine that day arriving and yet it has, oh, my, yes – it certainly has arrived! I try not to let my age influence me. We all feel frozen in time at a certain younger age regardless of what our bodies, our children, or the mirror reflects back to us. I believe that in order to stay young at heart you must continually learn, take risks, get out of your comfort zone, laugh, and enjoy life to the fullest. For the longest time people always thought I was younger than my real age. Those compliments aren’t given anymore! It’s ok. I feel the crow’s feet, wrinkles, sagging, are all a badge of honor to be strutted proudly. No cosmetic surgery for me! I earned those wrinkles and they shout to everyone who I really am. Now, to be perfectly honest, would I love to have my slender figure back, certain body parts devoid of arthritis, and my flawless complexion as it once way? You bet! But that’s not growing older gracefully and I accept what and who I am – now. As an only child, my mother always had a big family birthday celebration for me. When I turned 20-30-40-50-60, the birthday celebrations diminished; it’s just another day, don’t dwell on the age. Unlike some people, as I’ve turned a new decade, it has never been a big deal. That’s all right with me. Just ease into the new decade, take a breath and focus on the fact that it will be nine more years before the next big one. Truthfully, I was silently hoping that my daughters might fly in for my upcoming 65th birthday in November (always on or near Thanksgiving). As young lives go, busy is their mantra and other commitments this year would prohibit them from coming. So, I made a decision and gave my daughters and best friend a 5 year “heads up”, warning: Put it on your calendar for 2018, in five years I expect all of you to help me celebrate my life when I turn 70. It will either be a destination party or they will all fly to New Mexico – either way, we will celebrate! As I mentioned this to my oldest daughter on the phone the other day, there was a pause, she stammered and said, “70? Mom, you’ll be 70 in five years?”. She was definitely having a difficult time wrapping that concept around her mind. She admitted that she really thinks of me as only 60. I guess the compliments haven’t dried up after all. Thanks, dear daughter! Jamie Lee Curtis is a woman and actress whom I admire. We share the same birth date. She is gracefully and refuses to change her looks as so many other actresses are will to do. You see her crow’s feet and wrinkles and even her beautiful, natural salt & pepper hair. She is one classy lady! And, let’s not forget George Clooney, oh, my! For all of us Boomers, we don’t need to fall into the false beliefs that the media thrusts in front of us. We have choices: go totally natural or we can do whatever makes us confident in our appearance. We do not have to believe that we are something we are not by purchasing the newest cream, surgery or creating a younger look. Neither our age nor our looks define us. Our true essence, how we live our lives, treat others – those are the qualities that make us who we are. So, as my 65th birthday approaches, and on the day that I have my Medicare card in my wallet I will graciously accept it. I’ve earned those years and discounts. I will think young and be a “young” 65. Care to join me? As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on aging, acceptance of turning 65 and if you are younger how you perceive growing “older”. Until next week – Spiral Up to Life!
Posted on: Wed, 31 Jul 2013 22:13:03 +0000
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