Is blogging similar to keeping an online journal? In some respects yes. My reason for keeping a blog is both to create memories, (I’m having short term memory deficit with the advancing years) and to share the aging experience for anyone like myself who has no knowledge of what to expect. I also do a yearly scrapbook of keepsakes for a hobby.
Believe it or not many don’t want to know, or do not know what “getting old” actually entails. For myself it’s a bitter sweet combination thus far. I remember in my 40’s, I paid age no mind until the day I looked into the mirror and came to the conclusion my looks were changing. Suddenly I wasn’t adding makeup to my face to enhance my appearance, but more to replace the small details that were leaving. The eyebrows and eyelashes were thinning, my complexion was paler and birthing new spots and freckles. Speaking of skin, I had no idea it became thinner until one day I noticed a scary “old people” bruise on an arm working in the garden.
Nobody in life prepared me for this stage, nor did I have a clue. I find it difficult to believe I’m the only person who feels the sting of it all. There are three adults in my life my age I can safely discuss or get feedback about the topic from, and in doing so I discovered I’m not alone in my mindset. I have one friend who is horrified with getting older and she takes offense to any mention of it pertaining to herself. Aging isn’t some dirty secret it’s just a part of human biology. Do I like it?, not really, but its not all bad. For myself it’s more about the physical limitations that can be negative, but I find it can also be humorous at times. Living in a seasonal climate is definitely for the brave joint-wise because the winter bite can not only inflame everything, but it’s detrimental if you slip and fall as I have in the past two years. Things now take weeks or months to heal right down to a slight scratch.
The weakening of hand muscles is my absolute downfall because I am an avid cook. To open cans and twist jar tops I often have to seek out someone younger, stronger, or dig in my junk drawer to find a pair of pliers to grip things. The list is endless of the physical stamina we often take for granted that I find I can’t do any longer. True to what my grandfather told me at his ripe old age of 80, “Getting old happens from the neck down, you’re mind doesn’t age.” Now that I’m on the cusp of yet another 60-something birthday, I get it.
Standing on my porch recently without a thought I jumped over the (2) steps to the walkway below and promptly discovered my legs and knees were having none of it, over I went like a lumpy rolling sack of potatoes. I laid there in shock waiting to feel if I’d done damage. I eventually sat back up as my mind screamed, “Are you crazy?” Another lesson learned and my self confidence took a nose dive. I will never be that quiet granny that sits and reads or knits. I’m an active adventurous soul at heart. I need to do some rethinking akin to teaching my children to walk as toddlers when they were young, because this stage of life is eerily similar but in reverse. Now that I've blurted out some random thoughts here, it’s time for me to go shave the chin hair and carry on with life. There are now 29 days until spring!
Believe it or not many don’t want to know, or do not know what “getting old” actually entails. For myself it’s a bitter sweet combination thus far. I remember in my 40’s, I paid age no mind until the day I looked into the mirror and came to the conclusion my looks were changing. Suddenly I wasn’t adding makeup to my face to enhance my appearance, but more to replace the small details that were leaving. The eyebrows and eyelashes were thinning, my complexion was paler and birthing new spots and freckles. Speaking of skin, I had no idea it became thinner until one day I noticed a scary “old people” bruise on an arm working in the garden. 
Comments
Post a Comment