I don't know if it is just me (I doubt it) but I sometimes find myself looking back on my life and wondering where all the time has gone. Wasn't it just yesterday that we were graduating from high school? Weren't my kids just in diapers? How did I get to be old enough to have three adult kids? And, dammit, why am I catching myself saying things that only old people say such as, "Man time sure does fly the older you get" and "Back in my day..."?!
Yep..we are getting older. Things are sagging, our hearing may be decreasing, and we almost qualify for senior citizens discounts. We are no longer among the youngest workers at our job. Things that used to be simple tasks are now done accompanied by groans, grunts and creaking bones (getting up off the floor is a prime example of this). When we go to the doctor now they say things like," You are getting to the age where...". "Karen, have you done your colonoscopy yet? You know you are at that age..." It can be depressing!
To add fuel to the flame (pun intended), as a Gen X female, menopause has reared its ugly head. And, what an UGLY head it is! I worked in women's healthcare for a long time but still do not feel that I was truly prepared for this bullshit of a life change. The brain fog is very real. The lack of energy is very real. And, the eternal heat that burns within me..the Dante's Inferno kind of hotness...the Africa like warmth that evolves at the most inopportune time is my favorite.
However, with all that said, let's take a look at what else this time of life brings. This is the time for us to truly live the rest of our lives for us..doing what we want to do. I do not mean to sound like I do not cherish being a mother because I definitely do. Being a mother is the greatest joy in my life but they are adults now. Their need for me has changed. And that is what is supposed to happen. Enjoy it! Take that class that you have been looking into. Pick up a new hobby. If you have been wanting to move to another part of the country then now is the perfect time! The possibilities are endless.
At the age of 50, much to the surprise and disapproval of most of my family, I decided to leave a marriage that they thought was a match made in Heaven. A year later, I moved away from my home state to start over. And what a start over it has been! I am in the happiest of relationships, I have job that is very rewarding, and I love my new state!
It is not too late. You are not too old. If you can dream it you can work to make it happen. And as far as those senior citizen discounts go, I remember when my grandmother would bring us to McDonald's when we were kids and she would ask for her free senior citizen coffee. It seemed to make her happy so I say let's embrace it! We have been through some shit in our lifetime..if a company wants to reward us for being old then so be it!
Add comment
Comments