Posted on by Belinda O

on aging–don’t make me say it–gracefully

I’m glad fall is near for one simple reason: I look so much better in fall & winter clothes.

I’m not particularly thrilled my ego is that sensitive, but at the same time, I dread the day I no longer care about my appearance at all.

time and tideIt would be nice to start caring a little less as a I get older, and I think I probably already do, or I’d be in a panic as I watched the signs of aging creep in on me. I don’t recall ever believing I’d get this old. Not that I thought I’d die young, I just didn’t think I’d ever age. Yes, logically I knew I would, but my mind generally wouldn’t go there.

It still doesn’t, until I look in the mirror and can no longer deny it. I’m in my 50s. How the hell did that happen so soon? It’s not going to get better, so I need to figure out how to deal with the disappointment. Just why does it bother me?

Part of it, I suppose, is being single. Like it or not, how you look affects your ability to captivate the opposite sex, and I’m not feeling the same power I used to. Not that I ever felt powerful, but still, on a good day I felt competitive.

So to keep from getting lonely, I need to look good? I don’t think that’s a truth I want to start believing.

But here’s the other thing: aging gracefully is a requirement for people older and wiser than I (believe I) am. The driver’s license isn’t letting me get away with thinking I’m any younger, but wiser is harder to assess, and I just don’t know if I measure up.

I don’t want to be an old fool. I know a few of those, and becoming one probably scares me more than anything else.

There is one piece of wisdom I’ve acquired. All the plastic surgery in the world isn’t going to keep you from looking older. It has its benefits for some, but it’s not likely it will ever be something I’ll consider. I’m looking for other alternatives, including attitude, to take its place.

Attitude, and hair color.

Image Credit: (clock) © Jakub Krechowicz; (water) © JulietPhotography; (sky) © Kirsty Pargeter; (wood) © Filip Miletic–all, Fotolia

17 Replies to “on aging–don’t make me say it–gracefully”

  1. I’m laughing, as I approach the latter stage of my sixties…you are young!! Enjoy it, flutter the eyelashes, blonde the hair. Buy something colourful, a d banish those old ageing type thoughts from your mind😀😀

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. When I turned 30, I thought I’d reached 100,now I think, man I was just a kid. Your perspective changes each year, doesn’t it? Still, I haven’t faced the oh-so-evident signs of aging before like I am now, and it’s alarming!

      Like

      Reply

  2. While I’m sure you look absolutely fine, you would hope that anyone who may be attracted to you can see further than just looks, assuming you’re hoping for someone around your own age, otherwise perhaps they’re not worth knowing anyway.
    But yes I know the feeling, in your mind you’re till a young person so looking in the mirror, especially if you just catch a glimpse can be quite shocking. Just ignore the image, I do 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I would always hope anyone attracted to me is seeing further than my looks, because believe me, I can clean up good but that isn’t the reality every morning — or right now early afternoon. What my fleeting (or recurring) fears may be and what I live my life by HAVE to be different, and writing it down often puts it in perspective!

      Like

      Reply

  3. I’m 57 and you would never know I was that old…aside from my pure white hair. Of course I had fleeting thoughts some time ago of trying to “dress” it up but after reading all the time and effort required to maintain a non-white look…just not for me. I don’t care how older the hair makes me look anyway because I’m very fortunate to have hair at all…let alone hair that grows at a rapid pace. My buddies envy/hate me so I’ve got that!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. If I let it go, I’d have pure white hair myself. Not ready for that yet! You’re right though about being fortunate to have the head of hair you have. Whatever the color of my hair, I feel the same, and for men it’s even more of an issue! Although my dad lost his hair by the time he was 21, and I still say he’s one of the best looking men I know, even at the age of 79. All a matter of perspective, I guess!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  4. I’m with you Belinda. I won’t consider plastic surgery but I will continue to learn to eat well and exercise. I’ve started running in the mornings and I can’t tell you how much my confidence has increased. I don’t know if I’ve lost weight or not. I don’t own a scale. But I feel better. That’s one way I am aging gracefully.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. It’s amazing how much looks matter to us. My grannie (who is 88) dyes the 3/4 of her hair black and leaves the front gray as a sort of illusion because she knows no one would believe that she’s not gray, but people think that she’s only partially gray. Looks are important.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. My boss’s mother turns 90 next month and she dies her hair strawberry blonde, but refuses to admit it. She tells everyone it’s her real hair color, even though it’s never naturally been that color in her life. It looks nice, fortunately.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

I'd love to hear from you!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.