What Does Age Have To Do With Being Old

When I was eighteen years old and newly married, I thought my then husband's cousins in their early thirties were so old and so wise. I looked up to them and wanted to do things like they did. The cousin's wife taught me to make lasagna. She taught me how to add bleach to the washing machine to have sparkling white clothes. For some people these little tidbits would be taught by their parents. Since those teachers were missing in my life, I needed to catch up. I didn't even know how to write a check.

When I turned thirty I was a mother of three wonderful children and I was in the process of getting a divorce. That was the only birthday that upset me. I was depressed for a week before my thirtieth birthday. My soon to be ex was living with his girlfriend and I did not have any adult friends.

I only remember my ninth birthday which I wrote about here. I remember the twenty first birthday. I remember the week of the thirtieth birthday. And that is all. No other birthdays are etched in my memory. I think that is because basically I live each day as it comes. No one day is more important or appreciated more than any other.

Lots of interesting things have taken place in my life since my thirtieth birthday. I am over twice as old now. I am married to the only man who is interesting enough and challenging enough to make each day a new day to look forward to.

Would I have been able to see into my future when I was eighteen or when I turned twenty-one hanging out with the senior citizens at the Lawrence Welk show?

I now understand that how I think about myself is what drives the getting old propaganda. I walk around the house in shorts and bare feet and am more relaxed than I had been as a young mother working to support three kids. I have time to read in peace and quiet and listen to music. I have more interest in world wide news than I ever did. I have an open mind and am encouraging of other people pursuing their dreams whether I agree with them or not. I have learned things aren't all about me. Age is how I take care of myself and how I continue to learn and grow as a woman. I have gained some perspective about what "old" is and in my opinion old only applies to leftover cheese in the frig, not to human beings. I have learned so much in my lifetime and along the way I learned to appreciate the elderly folks who have some funny stories and some wisdom to share with the younger folks.