Not Old…OL -D-E-R

Older, sure. But better. The spirit of life grows, point of view.

Getting older is mostly annoying. Little favorite bits of our body parts fall into disrepair and are more effort to fix. Mascara that used to be easy to apply is now a gummy clump of glue that stays in the folds and creases of our eyes long after the party. The once lightening quick hang-over now extends for three days and makes us as green as the Wicked Witch of Oz. Panty hose, once the force of the business world and our answer to the tie, is more than a fashion covering anymore; it’s strangulation from the waist down.

Bones are oddly appearing in odd places. Those long balloons clowns use to make animals inadvertently appears around our slim tummies and above our bra straps. Shoes we’ve loved now tango with our toes and trip us.

But it’s not all bad.

Older women do put the D-E-R into older with great professionalism and hilarity.

• D stands for Determined

• E stands for Enduring

• R, of course, stands for Remarkable.

We are determined to do as we please.

Grandmothers are now shown on TV splashing their grandkids. And they don’t care; it’s what they always wanted to do, but were too young to respond to vicious remarks from young children. Squirt!

If the Fashion Police come by the house, we laugh when they point out we’re sadly out of touch with Vanity Fair. If there’s medicine to take, we make a face and don’t care what the dog thinks.

NOT only that, sometimes– oh the shame it caused years ago– we eat standing over the sink — who would have thought that the last zucchini would have gourmet properties or that scraping the ice cream contain would be an awe-inspiring experience.

We’re also enduring.

Look at what we’ve been through. Broken hearts, ruptured egos, and divided spirits. Yet here we are, a nation of warrior women. Facing the zone of no return, we are relentless as a species, knowing full well the survival of the fittest by walking, gym class and golf.

My mother-in-law says a woman that tells her age, will tell anything.

I like and respect her but don’t agree. I love to tell my age. I say, “Hey, you kid you, put the groceries in the trunk and take a look at me; I’m an OLDER woman and I’m the best I’ve ever been.” Of course, he’s listening to Eminem on his secret earphones but I know he hears everything.

Remarkable?

I’ll say! Each day some of us are starting new careers as dot.com executives, or leading the young into a better understanding of what ought to be done, and making our voices heard in government by email.

From runners to sleepers, to skydivers and fisherwomen, from real estate agents to caregivers for the elderly and the young, we’re so remarkable that we’re often the only ones who know the truth, but are willing to hear other opinions.

I do think we older women are wonderful.

Stand aside, we’re coming through!

December 10th, 2009 - Posted in Aging | |

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