Just a post about little old ladies and their remaining brain cells

[AshevilleKate]

:) I decided to post something just to make some people smile today. I, for one, just don't always do that enough...and I need to do better.

I caught sight of some incredible pictures the other day and it was then that I decided, "to hell with certain things!" To hell with what???

To hell with dying my hair. I just turned 54 on the 4th of July and I earned every single grey hair on my head, from the time I went to school in Lebanon during the civil war there in 1975, to the latest my grandchildren gave me when I recently celebrated their 4th and 7th birthdays....so to hell with my hairdresser's notion that I have "earned the right to treat myself to a dye job", I have earned the right to keep my grey hair....besides I get too many of them every day!

To hell with every plastic surgeon on the planet, including, ugh, the one that now offers me services at my local mall (scary, huh?) I have earned every single wrinkle on my face. I kind of like to think I earned at least as many wrinkles in laughing as I ever did in frowning or crying. So leave ' em alone, thank you. They are a part of me. And though I sure do wish my middle and thighs had a little less fat, no one is sucking it out of me. I will get it out the hard way, or die trying.

(Guess that I won't be in some of those pictures I mentioned earlier....the incredible ones. Certain "celebrities" who have been nipped and tucked to the point of looking like a Kewpie doll or a plasticine person...now that is scary!)

To hell with the people who think I "belong at home in a cage" or at the very least, "not allowed out in public" when my medicine and illnesses cause me to break out in hives from head to toe. "Relax", I usually tell these folks. "What day is this?" If they tell me, I respond with "Oh, Wednesday, phew, it's okay. I am only contagious on Tuesdays....usually...unless of course I get stressed by people telling me I should not be out in public."

To hell with people who never look for the rainbow after the rain.

To hell with living in the past. It's called the past for a reason. Can't change it. Can't fix it. If you keep looking back at it, you never get to live in the present and keep an eye on the future.

To hell with people who have never smiled at a fellow traveler, or told a little old lady (not my age but my momma's anyway--she is 80!) how nice she looks in that sweater when she has been waiting in the same long grocery line as you....try it sometime...it feels great!

To hell with people who have to be the first in line every time, who think the loss of a game is tantamount to loss of limb, who equate getting the wrong coffee to being maligned for years.

To hell with people who think everything is a lawsuit and everything is a reality tv show, and every person who ever appeared on a reality tv show should be instantly accorded the rank of celebrity or star. We lost a star, Cliff Robertson, this weekend...just to put it in perspective.

Okay, I am done now -- if I made you smile, I hope it gives you a tiny little wrinkle you will consider keeping. If I made you frown, I am sorry...life is just to darn short for that!

Peace out!

[av8rdave]

1. Nice post!

You reminded me a little of the time my daughter told me I should color my hair and get rid of some of my gray.

I said, "yeah, then I can look like a 53 year old man who colors his hair!"

Needless to say, it's not happening. I've earned every gray hair I have.

[roguevalley]

17. I embrace my age. I enjoy it. And of course. the alternative sucks. :)

[RebelOne]

46. Yes, when I complained to my daughter about getting old,

she said that it was better than the alternative.

[Lucinda]

2. I'm smiling. Thanks!

:toast:

[ScreamingMeemie]

3. Your hair stylist used the term "dye job"??!!??

Fire him/her immediately.

You dye an egg; you tint/color your hair...

You pluck a chicken/you tweeze your eyebrows...

It was my very first lesson in cosmetology school back in the day. Needless to say, I never forgot it. ;)

[Booster]

7. You reminded me of something: What the Hell is "brow threading".

[ProgressiveProfessor]

22. It is a form of hair removal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyebrow_threading

[tammywammy]

60. It's a form of hair removal

Very popular among my Indian friends.

[Jazzgirl]

62. An Indian friend of mine did it to me once. It wasn't painful.

She kept saying it was easy. I told her it was easy for her to say since she had been doing it for years, LOL! I couldn't quite get the hang of it.

[madamesilverspurs]

4. This old lady thoroughly enjoyed that!

[MineralMan]

5. Warning!

Warning
by Jenny Joseph



When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

[MineralMan]

6. Sadly, there's no equivalent poem for old men.

Perhaps I'll write one.

[maddiemom]

29. RED HATS

Didn't there used to be a "Red Hat" society for mature women inspired by this poem? I seem to remember an aunt belonging. Haven't heard of it in some time, but now I'd qualify. I guess I'd rather still be able to fit into my jeans, however.

[MineralMan]

52. Oh, it's still around, and has lots of members. Do a Google search.

There's probably a chapter wherever you live. Fun bunch, they are...truly.

[newfie11]

8. this old lady totally agrees with that post

Thanks for posting.

[RebelOne]

20. Me, too. Another old lady at age 72.

I have wanted to have plastic surgery, but then I figured, what the hell, I am not in the working world any more.

[demmiblue]

9. K&R... you made me smile!

I remember, when I was in my twenties, a fellow Red Cross hospital volunteer espousing a similar message.

It was a message I never forgot. She was casually telling the small group of volunteers that were patiently waiting for the next floral/card delivery that (paraphrasing): each wrinkle on your face is earned; it is the road map of your life. She was, of course, flipping through a women's magazine as she made this pronouncement. ;)

Now, this particular group of volunteers each had at least 40+ years on me (one soon turned 93).

I think it was special message aimed at me.

This woman also happened to be an amateur gardener... I think she knew that a planted seed sometimes takes root.

:)

[AshevilleKate]

13. Response --- with thanks to all!

I wish I could say thank you to each and every response, but you have given me two smiles today, and a tear in my eye that I am so grateful for.

Your little quote at the bottom in Latin was one of my late father's most favorite. He used a slightly different word in part of it, yet I recognized it instantly. He, I think, would have loved this forum. He would have loved to know that I am writing and sharing my words, for the first time ever. He had shared his for a long time as a travel writer overseas.

I still have my mom, I wish I had him still, but she is now only two streets from me and not half a world away...and we try to never let that little quote diminish our days and time we have together!






































































































































































:-)

[AshevilleKate]

14. i goofed

so sorry for all the dead air in my response -- i will try not to mess up again-- need to get my fingers off that idiot mouse pad that is apparently NOT idiot proof when it comes to little old ladies --again, sorry!!!

[demmiblue]

42. Your dad is probably correct in terms of this quote.

The quote is from: "The Handmaid's Tale," by Margaret Atwood. It is not correct Latin, from what I understand... but it makes sense in the context of the story.

Thank you, again, for this OP!

[SheilaT]

10. I dyed my hair for a period of

years, but stopped about four years ago (I'm 63) because my hair grows so fast it was getting to where I was needing to do it every ten days -- even two weeks was long enough for very noticeable gray roots to show.

Aside from the money I'm saving, I'm no longer tied to a touch-up schedule that tended to dictate when I could take a vacation, or how long I could be gone. These days I'm letting my lovely, silver-gray hair get longer and longer. It's shoulder length now and I do get a lot of compliments on it.

[RebelOne]

48. I am still dying my hair at age 72.

I have always been a blonde, and now I do not have to touch it up as often because the gray blends in with the blonde, so now it looks natural.

[SheilaT]

71. Yes, blondes can often keep on coloring forever,

you lucky blondes, you. My original hair color was a medium brown.

I do hope it doesn't sound as if I think no one past some particular age ought to be allowed to dye hair. It definitely works for lots of people for a very long time.

What actually amazes me is that even with completely gray hair, most people think I'm about ten years younger than I actually am.

[marions ghost]

74. and also u r decreasing your risk of cancer:

http://www.bukisa.com/articles/397352_ten-most-dangerous-results-of-hair-coloring

RIP Jackie Onassis.

[Uncle Joe]

11. Kicked and recommended.

Welcome to D.U. AshevilleKate.:hi:

[Arkansas Granny]

12. From one old lady to another, WAY TO GO!

Also, welcome to DU.

[undeterred]

15. As a female 54 year old looking for a job

I cannot afford to not care about how old I look. Age discrimination is rampant. Employers do not want to hire women or men in their fifties. If you are financially secure and don't need to work, good for you. A lot of us need to find jobs now.

[femrap]

27. Please don't think that

coloring your hair and having plastic surgery is going to allow you to compete w/ the 20- and 30 somethings. You are wasting your time and money.

You offer experience, patience, wisdom, reliability....the 'Eye Candy' days are OVER. Face it and welcome what comes with age. Be comfortable with yourself.

Wear classic-styled clothes and never ever wear the 20 something's stilettos.

[pitohui]

31. you're doing the right thing, undeterred

the person who doesn't take care of their looks is sending a clear message that they don't give a damn about what other people think

who wants to hire somebody who doesn't give a damn about what other people think???

[sufrommich]

33. What does taking care of the way you look have to do with

looking your age?

[undeterred]

56. You're not allowed to look your age

because you're not allowed to be your age... people in their fifties simply don't belong in the work place. So you better not look like you are in your fifties. That means if your hair is grey, you'd better dye it some other color.

[Brigid]

57. I don't care what anyone says,

I am 53 and refuse to waste any time or energy trying to pretend otherwise. I am what I am, and if an employer doesn't like it, I'll just find one that does. You have to be true to yourself. Believe me, I've learned that the hard way.

[undeterred]

58. Well, I'm still unemployed

and this is the advice I get, over and over again. That, and try using the social media like the kids do.

[Brigid]

61. Apparently you're getting advice from twentysomethings.

And Madison Avenue.

Perhaps this site can be of some help:

http://seniorjobbank.org/

[undeterred]

63. Thanks.

[AngryOldDem]

79. I'd like to pass along my thanks as well.

This is one more site that I didn't know was out there, and one I plan to check occasionally.

I looked at it briefly, and was kind of amused to see an opening at a company for a job I did this spring and summer on a contract basis. While at that job I experienced what I cam only describe as subtle but obvious age discrimination on the part of my immediate supervisor.

[CTyankee]

34. I did the same thing for the same reason when I was 54. But when the handwriting was on the

wall the year I turned 65 I decided to retire (and somehow find a part time job to supplement my Social Security as hubby carried the health insurance).

Eventually, your employer might not even care whether you dye your grey hair or not. They know your age. You are getting very expensive. A much younger replacement can be hired. You always think "Oh, they can't fire me, I'm special." But they all feel that way. And take some comfort in the fact that your employer, too, will be old one day and the same thing will happen to him or her.

Prepare really well, is all I can say...

[AngryOldDem]

78. +1

It would be nice to have the sunny outlook on things that others apparently have. But some pressing concerns have to be addressed first, such as settling the question of whether or not I'll ever work full time again. There are times when I feel like I'm entering a long, dark tunnel as I try to "reinvent" myself at 51...but hey, always look on the bright side of life! :thumbsup:

[young_at_heart]

16. From one 'Ashevillian' to another----thank you

I'm almost twenty years older than you and I can say that your "To hell with" just keeps on growing. Not everyone ages gracefully or has increased wisdom, but to those who do, life just keeps getting better and better!

[lapislzi]

18. One small note...

There are many, many plastic surgeons doing phenomenal reconstructive work on trauma and burn victims. Not all plastic surgery is an expression of vanity. The best plastic surgeons are the ones who reconstruct lives.

Of course, there is probably more money to be made from vanity, but there are fine, fine plastic surgeons doing laudable work.

[AshevilleKate]

24. I thank you for the point out there

Yes, they truly put their craft to a wonderful use. They should not be maligned and lumped into that field of pump 'em up and ship 'em out folks. Or the pump 'em out ones for that matter. So, to those skilled people I say, keep going and thanks for all the goodness and magic your fingers can create.

[elehhhhna]

65. there are many who do the vanity work in order

pay for their charity/mission work

and?

[LibertyLover]

19. I love this post -

and would like to say that I'm not going to bother coloring my hair anymore too. However, I am 58 and have a 9 year old daughter. I have to see her friends' moms at school and the bus stop. Her friends' 30 something, blond, fit, tanned, botoxed and looking damned fabulous moms. So, I do what I can. I color my hair and wear decent clothing. I can't do too much about the weight, although I'm working on it. And thankfully I have my mom's skin which means nobody can tell I'm 58. Tanned? Uh, not so much. I'm a natural Irish redhead, with the pale skin to match. I freckle and burn, but I don't tan. And well, as for botox - I have enough science and biology classes under my belt to know that botulism is not a good thing. Good for you however! And I've got your back in case Miss Clairol attacks.

[TBF]

23. I can relate -

I am 45 with 2 young children as well. I had my career first, finally slowed down and got pregnant when I was pushing 40, and now I stay home with them. After many years of stressful corporate life and ridiculous hours I am finally getting a break so it is great. I'm still highlighting my hair and remain secretly thrilled when I can see the dark roots come in! One day I will be gray and blonde, but for now my body is still hanging in there. Not as thin as I used to be - but then who is at our age? As I get older I am quite proud that I have managed to last this long.

:)

[Le Taz Hot]

21. The only people wringing their hands

over my grey hairs and my wrinkles is Madison Avenue. I'm actually fine with them and my husband still swears I'm gorgeous (I never was but, what can I say, love is blind).

[Contrary1]

25. I am battling both chemo-brain and mentalpause...

Love this!

And, I tend to use my "gifts" as needed. I still load all my own purchases at the local feed store...gotta stay fit and all. I tell the workers there will be a time that I need their help, but not quite yet.

Offer me a "senior discount"...sure, I'll take it.

My gray? I go back and forth on this one. My hair started graying in my 20's. Making it through a couple teenagers and cancer pretty much finished me off. But...the rest of me doesn't look my age, so I cheat now and then. Depends on my mood.
The younger male neighbors usually comment when it's a bit darker. :rofl:

[sufrommich]

26. You made me smile, we're the same age with the same

attitude! Welcome to DU.

[pitohui]

28. you made me sad, people who stop taking care of themselves have a disease called depression

and depression has killed people i know

it does not make me smile to listen to someone rationalizing reasons for no longer taking care of themselves, it is a natural part of being a healthy animal, even the cat (the laziest of beasts) takes care to clean her fur and keep up appearances as long as she is mentally and physically healthy

"to let yourself go" -- to give up -- is to die

you don't have to dye your hair, you don't have to treat your wrinkles (even though it's a shame to just let yourself go when we have the technology to do something about it) but let's not pretend there is anything healthy or good about just giving up

it is not healthy or good, it's sad

and too much of it is money -- SOUR GRAPES -- the movie star has money and so she can maintain her body and her physical health much longer than you can, instead of wanting beauty and health for everyone, you call beauty and health "plastic" and throw rotten tomatoes at it because you can't have it

how is that healthy, good, or positive? it's just bitterness in a gray, wrinkled package!

you think 54 is old and time to give up, well, i'm sorry you feel that way, there is no reason a woman of 54 should look or feel old w. today's technology and we should not be pressured into accepting second-best

[sufrommich]

35. What is sad is that you think that women who choose not to

"use today's technology" to chase their lost youth is a sign of depression.Not everyone confuses their self worth with the ability to look younger.

[AshevilleKate]

36. Response --

Please allow me to express my rebuttal to you. I have no sour grapes. I did not write my obit just then. I am merely giving up on all the hype and pretenses and phoniness of people that previously used to do nothing but feed my depression...and I have been on anti-depressants for years.

I am trying to state a few other things. One of the biggest is that our teens, hell, our children are buying into institutional crap-ola that to make it you have to look like that idiot child wannabe celebrity whose name currently is not important enough to remember. The loathsome shows on TV that recently celebrated toddler beauty pageants and the worst of parenting. The moron who thinks he can beat his child for losing a Little League game.

Why, because I don't care that I have had enough of some of the world's most unpleasant things, would you think for one minute I have given up.

FYI: I am a Katrina survivor.
I am a three time cancer survivor.
I have survived being run over on a freaking sidewalk by a drunk.
I have survived falling off a building as a child.
I have survived and am living with, diabetes, a brain tumor, and possible lupus.
I have survived rape.
I have survived childhood abuses that would make you want to hurl...at hands of friends'
parents, no less.
I have survived a civil war in Beirut, Lebanon.

So, please, again, what gives you the idea that for one cotton picking minute from my post today that I was throwing in the towel. Walk a mile, learn to smile....I am far far far from done.

And as a child of the 70's and one who embraces life and continues to live every single day,
"put that in your pipe and smoke it!!!!!!!"

[sufrommich]

37. Woohoo!!!! You go AshevilleKate !! nt

[Matariki]

55. You got some messed up thinking there Pitohui.

You think getting wrinkles is "letting yourself go"? If anything is sad, it's your lack of understanding. I feel sorry for you because you're going to have a really hard time dealing with aging. And I've got news for you, the only way you'll avoid that is by dying. And I don't mean your hair.

[marions ghost]

73. well said

the denial of aging and death in this culture is what is truly sad.

[femrap]

30. Back in the

Women Libber's Days, we nearly put the cosmetic industry out of business. We wore our hair long, no makeup except for maybe some lip gloss, no sexy lingerie or bras for that matter. No high heels....just jeans and a t-shirt and maybe some love beads.

We placed importance on our minds and souls....our freedom and liberty. I miss those days. I see the young women of today wearing stilettos that look like torture devices and remind me of the Chinese foot-binding practices.

I highlighted my hair for a couple of years and then said, 'Screw it.' I quit makeup. I live in Ohio....who cares what I look like? And after 55, a woman is pretty much invisible anyway.

Welcome to DU!

[pitohui]

32. back in those days we were 16

of course we didn't need a bra or hair color

sheesh!!!

[femrap]

38. But look at today's 16 year-old

females....they color their hair every color under the rainbow, lots of makeup, body paint, piercings. Oh, and little bras for girls in the 6 to 10-year range! The Backlash against women is fierce today...thank you MSM and all the gender-sterotyping playing 24/7.

And back in those days I was 24. At 13, I needed a bra....I was a B-cup by then. I didn't wear a bra through college unless my father visited. But we didn't wear tight-fitting, spandex-filled clothes back then. The style back then was a unisex look. My boyfriend had longer hair than mine...Damn was he hot. Jeans, t-shirts, flannel shirts for the winter. The boyz got in touch w/ their feminine side and the girlz got in touch w/ their masculine side. And this scared the hell out of the uptight Republicans....and in 1980, the Backlash began!

I enjoyed those days....in fact, the 'Battle of the Sexes' seemed to be pretty calm then.

Now the dudes are bald. sheesh!!!

[1620rock]

39. And one more.....

To Hell with people who think oldsters shouldn't don modest swim suits and enjoy the beach or pool.

[femrap]

40. Are

you off your meds or something?

Why are you talking about swim suits? I don't live near a pool nor a beach....wear whatever you please.

Yea....go jump in the lake!

[Odin2005]

70. Hair coloring and piercings are an attack against women?

If I told that to my female peers they would give me a "WTF are you smoking" look, and I'm a guy who is a lot more respectful of women than a lot of my fellow guys (having a friend who is a rape victim will do that to you...).

Don't equate "I don't like it" with "it must be misogyny".

[blue neen]

44. Clothing sure was a lot more comfortable in those days!

I'm not sure if I agree, though, that after 55 a woman is invisible...;)

[femrap]

50. I've been tempted

to rob a bank to see if my invisibility really works!

[sad sally]

41. I am much older than you, so besides being comfortable with all

the stuff you've wisely pointed out, that's been pointed out to me in various nice and not so nice ways over my "declining-age" years, as my adult grandkids tell me, I've now joined the walking farts club (those little squeakers that sneak up and out on an old person).

Your post made me smile - hope mine is right back at ya'.:D

[jwirr]

43. LOL at the never smile - I am one of those persons who smile and

talk to strangers all the time. Last week I was setting in a car with my oldest great grandson in a seedier part of town. A man walked by who was either a vagrant or homeless or both and I smiled and said hello. He answered back. gg-son gave me a look that said I was crazy and asked - "do you always talk to people like him." I told him yes.

Little while later another man comes along that scared even me - "why did you not talk to him?"

I tried to explain but it is was hard to explain to a ten year old why a 69 year old social worker was used to dealing with all kinds of people and one had been sober and the other stumbling drunk. His parents are trying to protect him from strangers and grandma does not need to turn him into the glad-hand man. Not yet anyhow.

[blue neen]

45. Welcome to DU!

BTW, I didn't see anything at all resembling "depression" in your post. ;)

In fact, it was quite uplifting.

:toast:

[WinkyDink]

47. My 61-yr-old gray hair and wrinkles applaud you!

[madamesilverspurs]

49. A lovely friend, gone many years,

used to explain her infirmities and foibles this way:

I am NOT old! I simply have an over-accumulation of youth!

Some days, my own over-accumulation just about does me in...


-

[Brigid]

51. I'm 53.

I am not going to color my hair, and I am sure as hell not going to have plastic surgery. I am going to dress appropriately for my age and the occasion, an be well-groomed. Beyond that, forget it. Life is just too short for me to waste time worrying about whether somebody doesn't like 53-year olds looking like 53-year olds.

[a la izquierda]

53. Haha, I like this very much.

My mom just turned 56. Though her getting older makes me sad, she's embraced it much the same way you have.
I, on the other hand, am a vain, vain 34 year old woman. I dye my hair and fret about wrinkles and obsess about my weight.

[glowing]

54. I dye my hair for the color... I like it a little bit of a darker brown.. but

I'm not hiding any grey hair.. Don't have any yet.. but when I start to get the grey, I think it adds character, and I'll stop dyeing it because its pointless to try and look 20yrs younger when you have 20 more years of better sense and knowledge than 20 yrs prior.

[Skittles]

59. I am 54 and have not seen my first gray hair

last week I swam two miles across a lake - and back

54 is not even CLOSE to being "OLD"

[awoke_in_2003]

64. when I think of little old ladies...

I think of my grandmothers. Both were little, and both grew up in the great depression. Both worked stateside during WWII. One wore out three husbands :) The two strongest women I ever knew- they were not to be trifled with.

[Brigid]

66. "One wore out three husbands."

:rofl:

You grandmothers sound like mine -- though each of mine was only married once. That was a generation of survivors. :)

[awoke_in_2003]

67. She was a card...

maybe 4'10 and 85 lbs soaking wet. My 6' 3" 250 lb father jumped when she said jump :) I remember visiting her, and playing gin rummy in the kitchen. She'd be drinking a beer and having a smoke. Then she would bust out in a little song "she drinks and she smokes, and she tells dirty jokes, she's the girlfriend of Sigma Phi" and start laughing uproariously. She loved watching Benny Hill, too.

[mentalsolstice]

68. Henna!

Thank you for this post. I'm the same age as our president. And while I don't agree with him all the time, I'm so proud to see someone my age taking the leadership.

Now about coloring hair...I use henna on mine as it's not a grand commitment. If I have an event or I want a slight change I'll use it and my greys become highlights. If I get lazy with it, it fades well before I get the ugly root problem. All my friends know I have plenty of grey, so it's not like I'm trying to hide anything. It's cheap, and it's like wearing makeup or a pretty blouse to a special event.

Otherwise, I'm all natural, I don't see or desire plastic surgery in my future. However, my grandmother got a eyelid lift for medical purposes because of heavy lids that were impacting her vision (putting pressure on her eyes, and the surgery restored her to near perfect vision), and I have the same upper lids that she did. Other than that, I'm quite content with taking care of myself with products from the drugstore. So far, it's worked, most people think I look younger than I am.

I agree with you about wearing your age with pride. Every line in my face I attribute to laughing or wisdom.

[Odin2005]

69. Back in the day being old made you a respected elder...

We need to go back to that. Old folks don't get the respect they deserve anymore, instead they are treated as "unproductive burdens" because the bean counters cannot quantify wisdom, so it is irrelevant to them.

[polly7]

72. Very nice ... I love it! nt.

[11 Bravo]

75. Excellent post, AK! Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[Lyric]

76. I really liked this one:

To hell with people who have to be the first in line every time, who think the loss of a game is tantamount to loss of limb, who equate getting the wrong coffee to being maligned for years.

That "to hell with that" attitude sums up a pretty enormous chunk of my own personality. Nice post!

:hi:

[LWolf]

77. When I was an adolescent,

everyone thought I was older than I really was. Partly because I was physically precocious; I could pass for 16 when I was 11. Partly because I skipped 1st grade and my "peers" were always older than I was. Partly because I was also intellectually precocious.

Now when I entered middle age, that flipped. Everyone thinks I'm older than I am.

Partly because I stopped dying my hair in my mid-30s, and by 40 was very gray. I got my first gray hair at 19. Throughout my 20s, I "weaved" it, successfully blending in the gray. By my early 30s, weaving wasn't enough. Coloring my hair was a pain in the ass. I decided I was old enough not to care what others thought.

I have earned every damned gray hair, wrinkle, and sag. Our society's disrespect for age is a symptom of our ill health. It doesn't slow me down much.

My mom is a REAL "little old lady." She's not that old yet; 73. But she has slowed down, mentally and physically. It pains me to see how slowly and carefully she moves, and to see her misplace things she knows, and rummage around in her brain to find them.

I'm not impatient. I'm patient, loving, and respectful, and expect my own boys to be the same for me someday.

Still, my 73 yo mom still wields her chain saw, hauls firewood, takes care of her horse, and many other things requiring energy and strength. She does it slowly and carefully, and has some aids and strategies for the heavy parts, but she refuses to stop living.

[a kennedy]

80. ditto, ditto, and ditto......only thing I change is I consider my grey

hair as Sterling Silver....really helps my frame of mind. :) :fistbump: :yourock:

[roody]

81. 58 with shiny silver streaks---all natural

[Scottybeamer70]

82. Great post! Loved it.

I will be 72 on the 15th ( tomorrow ). Worked until I was 70. They still ask me for ID for a
senior discount! I'm not giving up!!! Love my silver hair.....what's left of it......:)
Thanks again for the smiles!!!

[myrna minx]

83. Thanks for making me smile.

:hi: