A Different Coming of Age

A
Slightly Different 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
bullshit question or comment directed at you, then you 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!