AGE

Age is an interesting thing.

It makes parts of bodies that once never hurt, ache almost chronically.

It makes hair change; color, style, manageability.

It makes faces move in places it didn't before (before age of course).

It makes people make weird comments that you would never have believed.

Age.

Age is the great equalizer really.

A guy who was cool and popular at 23 will be exactly the same as every other 63 year old guy when they are 63. Equal.

I'm on this rant because age is finally catching up with me. I was able to hide and remain somewhat anonymous for awhile. Oh, but Age is a sneaky little thing and bides it's time.

In my 20's, I was always being mistaken for teens.

In my 30's, I was being mistaken for my 20's and I would giggle and say "Yeah, I get that a lot."

And even into my early 40's, I had a few people think I was still in my 30's which is a huge coup for anyone who manages to make it into their 40's.

HOWEVER ........... as I am going into my late 40's, I'm watching things progressively go into a downward spiral.

My hair won't do what it used to because of the extra grey. Grey hair (for you youngsters) is very coarse and sometimes has a funny kink to it. So now when I try to dry it and style like I used to, it won't budge. I could dye it; dye in the very porous grey hair helps to soften the strands. But ... I'm not really keen on the dye thing. It becomes a forever thing and I have the attention span of a gnat. And who am I really fooling anyway with dye?

I have aches in places when I sit for long periods of time ... say five minutes. I find that when I finally get to a standing position and try to walk, there is a pain in my knee and a pain in my back and I'm walking with a limp and in a bent over position.

My right arm has no movement past my shoulder anymore and there's a weird lump under my rib that is keeping me from doing stretches.

My back goes into spasms when I dig in the garden.

I can manage all this. All these pains. All these unfair issues that have come up as I've gotten older.

But the worst thing of all was the other day.

I was in an ice cream shop with the kids and this woman (who I know a bit) asked me, "So ... are these your grandchildren?"


Someone pass the chestnut brown dye.