Getting older
I was getting out of the shower this morning when I realized that I couldn't balance on my left leg and dry off my right foot; I couldn't lift my right leg high enough. I'm not nearly as flexible as I used to be. And my back hurts. And I get short-winded easily because I haven't been exercising. And I'm too big and weigh too much. And I can't see up close. And some other stuff I can't recall right now ...
OK, I'll be 58 two months from today and I realize that aging happens even to really nice people. But that doesn't mean that when it does I have to just accept it without complaining. I AM complaining! Of course, as George Burns said, getting older beats the alternative. And while I really do recognize the inevitability of getting older, I still refuse to get old.
Realistically, I know I have the power to counteract most of my complaints. I am going to start exercising and eating right again. (No, really. I am.) Those two alone will take care of a bunch of my complaints above; at least, they have in the past ... I think. Today, I also found this blurb about new adaptable lenses, so maybe there's hope yet on that front. And there's always cosmetic surgery ... when I get the money. (80-year-olds have cosmetic surgery, don't they?)
OK, I'll be 58 two months from today and I realize that aging happens even to really nice people. But that doesn't mean that when it does I have to just accept it without complaining. I AM complaining! Of course, as George Burns said, getting older beats the alternative. And while I really do recognize the inevitability of getting older, I still refuse to get old.
Realistically, I know I have the power to counteract most of my complaints. I am going to start exercising and eating right again. (No, really. I am.) Those two alone will take care of a bunch of my complaints above; at least, they have in the past ... I think. Today, I also found this blurb about new adaptable lenses, so maybe there's hope yet on that front. And there's always cosmetic surgery ... when I get the money. (80-year-olds have cosmetic surgery, don't they?)
On 4/21/2006 2:00 AM,
Anonymous said…
Yes they do, but the question is whether the results are worthwhile or even attractive. And, of course, the question of whether we should rush to the knife for reasons of vanity and societal pressure is another one to consider. I feel the advancement of age at 39 but when you think about it, a few decades ago that was middle-age and now isn't seen as such at all. I think the most progression has been made in terms of what goes on in our heads rather than in what cosmetic surgery can do...
Think young, not necessarily be young but be alive to possibilities - that's my long and unwieldly but perfectly sensible motto! :-) x
On 4/21/2006 9:12 AM,
DeniseUMLaw said…
I have only two things to say:
1) I want some of those glasses! and
2) You'll always be older than me! :)
I love you, Jami.
On 4/21/2006 11:07 AM,
Jami said…
I love you, too, kid!
On 4/24/2006 2:32 PM,
Jami said…
No, I am NOT 58! Not until the 20th of June, anyway; don't be pushing me down the road any faster than I'm already going. I was smart enough to pick a good set of parents when it comes to appearances. Until my mother got really sick with stomach cancer, even into her late 70s, she could pass for a woman in her late 40s or early 50s. And my biological father, although follically challenged, still looked a lot younger than his age when I saw him last. Granted, that was over 10 years ago and he may have deteriorated since then, but I intend to hang on for as long as I can.
And yes, if you want to be me, you're more than welcome. By the time you're 58, I'll be through with that age, so you can have it. Reminds me of one of my taglines:
"I've got to be me. Everybody else was taken."
On 4/26/2006 6:58 PM,
DeniseUMLaw said…
Hmmph. I posted a comment here and it never showed up. OK, I'll try again.
Jen, you canNOT make her 10 years younger -- that would make her younger than me! Flattery needn't go that far, anyway. Five years would have been adequate. Sheesh.
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