On the first day of October in every year since 1964 an event is celebrated that is of absolutely no import to anyone but me.Well, that’s not exactly true. My family and children help me to commemorate it. That makes me....um...NOT young anymore. This is fine, after all that is the natural order of things. I’ll take it over the alternative every day of the week. I’ve spent this day in the company of my only daughter. We went over to the Galleria, had lunch, I got a makeover. There were a couple of phone call serenades from my boyfriend who is working out of town. It’s been very nice. It’s so funny how people are about aging, though.
While we were at the mall and the makeup artist was doing my face, we talked about how it was my birthday and I told her my age. "Oh…we don’t talk about ages! Never!" And I replied… "Why not? I’m proud of it. I earned every one of these years." And it’s true.
The lessons of my youth are now being put to practical use. All that stuff that I was told "you’ll understand when you’re older," I totally get that now. It’s like everything is starting to click. The complexities of male / female relationships are finally a little easier for me. I’ve learned that you can be a strong, independent woman, be part of a relationship and still not lose your identity. The childbearing years are over for me, and even though I treasured the babies I had, I really love seeing how my kids interact with the world on their terms and I really love the way our relationships have developed.I’m not just "Mom." I’m also someone that they like to be around. This is way more fun than I ever imagined. I’ve reached the point where I’m no longer the girl I used to be, but I’m well on my way to becoming the old woman I always hoped I would end up being. I am right, smack-dab in the middle of what I like to call....the "fun" part.
The fun part is different for everyone. Some people look fondly back at their childhood as the best years of their lives. Others seem to live perpetually in high school, reliving past glory days and festering old wounds. That just seems so sad to me. It seems like such a waste to spend your whole life looking backwards. Why not enjoy where you are now and look forward to the road ahead? It can be anything you want it to be.
Someday (not today!) I get to be a cool grandma. I’m not going to be one of those cookie-baking, ornament-making, knitting type grandmas, either. Oh no. I have plans for the kind of old lady I’m going to be.
A few years back, it was Social Security day and I was a bank teller. Direct deposit was not as prevalent then as it is now, so the lines of customers who were waiting to cash their monthly checks was pretty impressive. Seeing so many senior citizens in one place at one time made me and several of my coworkers think about our own lives and what the future had in store for us.
At lunch a group of us were discussing our respective futures. A few people said they would be grandparents or world travelers, maybe "snowbirds" that would spend their winters in warmer climates and their summers in this area. I decided then and there that the traditional role was not going to be my destiny.
I would start a senior citizen motorcycle club. We would be known as the Silver Foxes (so named for our gorgeous silver hair). We would ride through the drive through at the bank when we got our Social Security checks. We would rev the engines of our custom motorcycles, wearing our leather jackets, while waiting in line to cash our social security checks. Then we would probably hit a few yard sales and maybe go to lunch.
At the time the prospect seemed rather fanciful and I got a lot of laughs. You want to know the really funny part? I got my motorcycle license last year around this time; all I need now is the motorcycle and jacket. If I didn’t dye my hair, it would be silver. All the pieces are falling into place; I’m just waiting until I can assemble the rest of a respectable group. I’ll be taking applications in a few years. It’s going to be so much fun.
While we were at the mall and the makeup artist was doing my face, we talked about how it was my birthday and I told her my age. "Oh…we don’t talk about ages! Never!" And I replied… "Why not? I’m proud of it. I earned every one of these years." And it’s true.
The lessons of my youth are now being put to practical use. All that stuff that I was told "you’ll understand when you’re older," I totally get that now. It’s like everything is starting to click. The complexities of male / female relationships are finally a little easier for me. I’ve learned that you can be a strong, independent woman, be part of a relationship and still not lose your identity. The childbearing years are over for me, and even though I treasured the babies I had, I really love seeing how my kids interact with the world on their terms and I really love the way our relationships have developed.I’m not just "Mom." I’m also someone that they like to be around. This is way more fun than I ever imagined. I’ve reached the point where I’m no longer the girl I used to be, but I’m well on my way to becoming the old woman I always hoped I would end up being. I am right, smack-dab in the middle of what I like to call....the "fun" part.
The fun part is different for everyone. Some people look fondly back at their childhood as the best years of their lives. Others seem to live perpetually in high school, reliving past glory days and festering old wounds. That just seems so sad to me. It seems like such a waste to spend your whole life looking backwards. Why not enjoy where you are now and look forward to the road ahead? It can be anything you want it to be.
Someday (not today!) I get to be a cool grandma. I’m not going to be one of those cookie-baking, ornament-making, knitting type grandmas, either. Oh no. I have plans for the kind of old lady I’m going to be.
A few years back, it was Social Security day and I was a bank teller. Direct deposit was not as prevalent then as it is now, so the lines of customers who were waiting to cash their monthly checks was pretty impressive. Seeing so many senior citizens in one place at one time made me and several of my coworkers think about our own lives and what the future had in store for us.
At lunch a group of us were discussing our respective futures. A few people said they would be grandparents or world travelers, maybe "snowbirds" that would spend their winters in warmer climates and their summers in this area. I decided then and there that the traditional role was not going to be my destiny.
I would start a senior citizen motorcycle club. We would be known as the Silver Foxes (so named for our gorgeous silver hair). We would ride through the drive through at the bank when we got our Social Security checks. We would rev the engines of our custom motorcycles, wearing our leather jackets, while waiting in line to cash our social security checks. Then we would probably hit a few yard sales and maybe go to lunch.
At the time the prospect seemed rather fanciful and I got a lot of laughs. You want to know the really funny part? I got my motorcycle license last year around this time; all I need now is the motorcycle and jacket. If I didn’t dye my hair, it would be silver. All the pieces are falling into place; I’m just waiting until I can assemble the rest of a respectable group. I’ll be taking applications in a few years. It’s going to be so much fun.
