In just a few hours I
will be 65 years old.....SIXTY-FIVE!!! I am still trying to wrap my brain
around that fact. I'm not complaining, mind you, just trying to figure out how
the hell it happened? It sure doesn't seem like I have been on this planet anywhere
near that long.
I certainly don't feel even
close to being a 65 year old but yet I am now eligible for every senior
discount known to man. It was kind of fun to join AARP when I turned 50. The
age of 55 brought the first phase of senior discounts...Woo Hoo! When I turned 60, then
62 more & more discounts were added. Now, there ain't no one telling me
that I'm not eligible for any senior discount!
Virtually every restaurant, tour or attraction that offers a discount
for old folks will be available to me!
Although there are many
instances in which I have to act my age, such as taking care of my dad, solving problems or making sure life runs relatively smoothly, there are
still times when I refuse to act like a grown up. For instance, I still wear my
hair long & curly even if it is out of style for an old lady. I like to
paint my fingernails crazy, bright colors & do one a different color. Just
this morning I knocked a scab off my arm while at the store (why is it that you
touch something at this age & are either bleeding or bruised?) & the
only band-aid I had in my purse was a "Frozen" one. No one asked why
a 65 year old woman was wearing an Elsa band-aid on her arm while shopping.
I love taking walks with my
three year old granddaughter, Charley (that's why the "Frozen"
band-aids). If she gets tired she just sits down in the driveway when it is
time to rest & I join her. Examining wild flowers, throwing rocks in the
creek or just laying flat on our bellies watching the water trickle by are
amazingly fun activities. Even if my body creaks a little getting up &
down, she certainly keeps me young at heart!
I find great solace in the
fact that people often tell me I don't look anywhere near my age. Thank you all
very much! My grandmother looked & acted "old" when she was 50.
Geez, I just realized that it has been 15 years since I was 50....honestly, it
doesn't seem possible that this much time has passed in my life. It just
boggles my mind.
If there is one piece of
advice I would offer to younger women it is to appreciate that you are
beautiful & vibrant at whatever age you are now. Don't worry about a few pounds or messed up hair & make-up. I look back at photos from
30, 20 or even 15 years ago & think, "Shit, I looked damn good!"
But I never thought that or believed it at the time. I'm trying to keep the
mindset that I will look back at current photos when I'm 80 & think,
"Damn, I did look pretty good for an old broad!"
With all of my father's
medical issues these past 10 years, his move last year up near us & all the
stress I've been under dealing with his life, I've neglected my own health
& well being. Fortunately, he is improving & is making headway to get
back to where he was two years ago. He will always need my help & a live-in
caregiver but hopefully it will be minimal compared to the past few years.
So, with all that in mind
I've decided to make a Birthday Resolution (kind of like a New Year's
Resolution but on my birthday). I resolve to put me first & take better care of myself
this coming year. I resolve to eat better, exercise more, lose some weight
& drink less wine (well.....maybe). And I also resolve to not beat myself up
if I don't always do a great job of it. :-)
Traveling is still a passion
that I share with Lou & our list of places to visit just keeps getting
longer. In fact, he is taking me to East Brother Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast
in the middle of San Francisco
Bay
Finally, I read a quote a
few years back that I printed, framed & hung on the wall right above my
computer. It reads:
"Don't regret growing older. It is a
privilege denied to many."
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