Aging

 Since this blog is Random Ramblings...how about a random post about aging?

I have heard from many people over the years say that they don't "feel" the age they are. They look in the mirror and are surprised by the "old" person they see there. When I was younger I didn't quite understand this and even as I started to age I was still skeptical, after all things were starting to ache and I couldn't do things I used to do without having consequences (yeah...drinking excessively, I am talking to you!!). So what did they mean they don't "feel" any different than they did in their twenties?

After I hit 50, it started to make a lot more sense. I am now one of those people who looks at anyone under 25 and thinks they are a kid and can't tell whether they are 15 or 25...who am I kidding it's really anyone under 30. I look at people my own age and some of them I think of us "old", while some of them I think of as my age. And I look at much older people and still think I am YEARS away from being that old! And then realize...it's only about a decade away in some cases. 

We are told "You are only as old as you feel" or is it act? I still suck at cliches and getting them right...wait that's not a cliche that's an adage, I think...whatever...I am old...the right words don't come as easy anymore lol...see what I did there--I use age as an excuse when it's to my advantage!

I've mentioned that I exercise more for the aging benefits than for weight loss and that's still true, especially since I have discovered that counting calories is the way for me to be successful with weight loss (I say "me" because I know we are all different and it may not work for everyone, and I am not here to judge or pretend that it's a simple feat to lose weight). 

I just want to live longer, but also have a better quality of life. I want to be Betty White 99, not Grandma 93 (no offense to my grandmother, but she wasn't able to do much more than watch TV and go to the casino). 

But I digress (surprise!)...this post is about what society expects from us. And I have never been one to conform to what society wants--it used to be because I knew I could never be what society wanted--as far as beauty standards, believing as a redhead I would never make the cut-- but now it's just because I don't like to be a follower. I don't necessarily want to be a leader but I want to just be me, it's ok if I am the only one doing whatever, as long as I am being true to myself. 

So society wants us to age gracefully and to wear age appropriate clothes...and not just clothes that cover your spider vein legs or shorts that are a certain length but there are whole lines of "old lady" clothes, like Alfred Dunner. I say HELL NO! I will not let "them" tell me what to wear...and YES I will stop wearing shortie shorts...eventually...but I am not wearing elastic waistband pants with matching floral print tops! Not gonna happen! Now I may start wearing glitzier things, because I like shiny things....I have even been known to buy a shirt or two from the kid's section! (I love the flip sequin stuff, but don't worry, I didn't buy anything...YET! (in all honestly it was only because the design I liked didn't come in my size (I wear an XL or XXL in kid's plus sizes if you ever see something cool and want to send it my way ;) --flamingoes, llamas, palm trees!!) Because as I age, I do find myself caring a whole lot less about what someone thinks of what I chose to wear. The pandemic has helped with that too. I have been wearing hiking clothes inside of places that I would never have been caught dead in wearing boots with running capri pants! And, surprise, no one noticed and if they did..so what?

Ah but I digress...again! What I really want to say is...how dare society say that because we reach a certain age we can't do the fun things we did in our youth. If I am able, I will absolutely snow tube, ride a sled, have a snowball fight...I was just checking to see if you are paying attention...do I like cold weather?? NO! So most likely those won't be the childish fun things I do. But you can still catch me jumping waves and screaming like a little girl in the ocean and I will still get excited feeding ducks from the palm of my hand and zooming around in a go cart or a bumper boat. I don't plan on ever stopping. I wish I could still go to amusement parks, but getting nauseous kinda ruins it a bit..but I can still do wooden coasters and put my arms up and scream like crazy! I am still doing cartwheels and will as long as my body allows me to. Why shouldn't I?

I don't "feel" 52 and I don't even know what it is supposed to mean to "feel" a certain age. Am I supposed to be more mature? Does maturity mean not letting loose or being stodgy? I'll pass. We only get one life and I plan to live it to the fullest...and that, to me, means having fun. No one is going to tell me what fun is and isn't allowed based on how old I am. I am going to be that granny still boogie woogieing. 

I think of some of the older people in my life that I would giggle at, thinking they were being goofy---grooving to a song in their 80's. And I am finally starting to realize --they didn't FEEL 80. They still felt just like I do, and just like I am sure I will still feel in 30 years, if I should be so lucky to live that long. Inside of your head, in your heart...that's the age that matters, not what the mirror shows you, not what society tells you. Stop thinking about how you SHOULD be acting or feeling because you are X years old....just listen to yourself....what do you want to be doing? And do it!