Age Really is a Number

Age really is a number.

But you don't realize this til you get older.

When I was in teens, my Dad's brother passed away of a heart attack at age 29.  I heard over and over how young he was.  In my teens I'm thinking, "that's not young, that's kinda old."

Typing that out makes me laugh reflecting back on my naivety!

When I turned 29, that's when it really hit me how young Robert Bailey really was.  Wow.  :(

In my mid 20s, people who were barely 21 could not BELIEVE I was as old as I was.  25.

When I was 32, I met a woman who was going through a lot in her life and she was 42 years old.  And I was thinking as I looked at her, "Gosh that's old.  I can't believe how old she is."

As I am now 43, I realize obviously that 42 is NOT old. 

I wonder how I will feel when I get to 50?  Or 55 or 60?

Right now, when I think back to the 1990s, it doesn't hit me how long ago that was.  I was in college and just starting my career in 1992.

But for some reason, to realize that 2004 was just only NINE years ago?  Holy Cow!  Really??

The few months before I turned 40, I was freaking out.  OMG.  FORTY. 

A few months after 40.  Eh, 40 is nothing.

As I look toward 45, when will it hit me how old I really am?

I still dress the same as my 30s (young).  When do I start dressing my real age?  When I'm old?  LMAO.

I remember visiting my Grandma Duncan and she was in her 70s or 80s and so were her friends.  Even at that age, they still cared about their looks.  I heard once before that no matter what age, women still care about their looks.  They will still buy creams for their now-deep wrinkles, still go to the salon for their hair color, and still wear make up.  Will there be one day I don't care about drawing my lips on?

My Mom was in a nursing home for only about 4 months (thank God) for rehabilitation.  She would be wheeled down to the "exercise" room and do her arm and leg movements along with the other ladies.  To me, everyone in the room was old.  To her, only the other people in the room were old. 

I just shook my head in agreement, not wanting to point out she looked like every one of them in the room.

However, my Mom was lucky and didn't look her age in the face.  Her wrinkles were hardly there (lucky beotch) but she let her hair go grey and her body was that of an 80 year old.  But, what mattered most to her was her face, and she did NOT look in her mid 60s.

Again, no matter what age a woman is, she will always care what she looks like and do her same routine (or new ones) to make herself look good.  As proof, my Mom would wear her wig to the Emergency Room, not realizing everyone could tell it was a wig.  ;)

A few of my very good friends are in the 60s.  Being in the social media age, everyone takes pics.  But they don't like pics of themselves and shy away from it.  I can envision that of myself.

What really struck me was each of them in some form or fashion has mentioned that they catch themselves in a pic or in the mirror and wonder, "Who is that?"

"Wait, when did I start to look this old."

I wonder when that moment will hit me.  50?  55?

Age really is just a number, but it's easier said than done.

I recall very distinctly when I was just about to turn 30, talking to a coworker who was going through some things.

He told me one of his fears was not accomplishing certain things by the time he was 40.  He turned 40, and everything he wanted to accomplish he had done.  And yet, he was still having "trouble" turning 40.  He had to go see a therapist for it.  He was confused.

That confused me to hear that.

As I think ahead, I am eligible to retire at 57.  I recall a coworker who retired 7 years ago saying, "it will pass by in a flash - you wont believe it."

Well, 57 is 15 whole years away.  That's a long time.  Or is it?


Here is some interesting insights and honesty from Cybill Shepherd she shared with Oprah:

When 40 finally arrived, Cybill says she fled the country but couldn't escape her age. Turning 50 was even worse, she says. "Fifty was really very traumatic, especially the early 50s," she says. "I stopped looking at myself in the mirror because I could see that I was aging."


Turning 60, however, was a turning point. "You decide what's really important in your life," she says.

Now that she's older, Cybill says her definition of real beauty has changed. "If we don't work to develop that depth and [have] more fun too—and really laughing and crying as much as possible—learning to love ourselves as we age is one of the most challenging things we can do," she says. "Look at everything and find something you can love about your body."

And check out what Linda Evans shares with Oprah:

Linda says she finally learned the true meaning of beauty in her 50s. "In a way, you're forced to give up the game," she says. "Anything that is outside of you, you can't control. But you can control inside of you."

Still, Linda says she decided to have plastic surgery at 50 because she wanted to, not because she had to. "I was madly in love with a man 12 years younger than me [New Age musician Yanni]," she says. "I wanted to still look good because I was with him."

Linda says she doesn't regret her surgery. "I wanted to look a certain way so I could feel better about that 12-year difference," she says. "And it worked."

Surgery or not, Linda says every woman should strive to love what they see in the mirror. "The great thing about aging is you do get wiser and you do get more certain in yourself of what you are and what you want," she says. "Loving yourself doesn't mean having a massage or getting your hair done. It means truly knowing your values."