I’m thinking that anybody under the age of, say, 35 won’t be able to relate to this.
I see a stranger in my mirror every day. I still feel like no more than 25 inside, but my outside leaves no doubt that the 25 year old ship has sailed.
I remember my Nanny telling me that as you age, the days and weeks and years will start to fly by. Being all of maybe 8 years old then, I couldn’t comprehend her statement.
I not only comprehend it now, I’m searching for ways to make it slow down just a bit. Passing time is not always kind to us ladies.
I had always expected that I would have a few wrinkles. My Nanny had laugh lines so I prepared for them also. I’m glad to say that since I quit smoking a few years ago, the damage that I had forced upon my skin has reversed itself to a degree. But.
The real surprise is that even though I don’t have nearly the wrinkles that I thought I would have, my face and features seem to be fading away. Literally. Fading. Away. Why didn’t somebody tell me that this would happen?
The color of my eyebrows has dimmed to half of what they used to be. My eyelashes have thinned and also lost so much color. The most odd thing about my eyelashes is that they WILL NOT hold a curl when I use my eyelash curler. Beats me why.
Not ever being one to wear makeup, I now will hardly go out without it. I had always wondered why little old ladies would draw their eyebrows on with the blackest eyebrow pencil they could find. Now I know why. But if anybody every catches me doing that, please wrestle me to the ground and take it away from me.
My hair has noticeably thinned (not that it was so thick to begin with) and the color has washed out. Having a foil done at my hairdresser’s every 3 months is now a way of life. Going out in public without my hair washed, blow dried, curling ironed, picked out and hairsprayed until it is bulletproof is not an option. I would sooner go out with a paper bag over my head.
Gee, you’d think that I’d be sitting home crying in my beer over this loop that life has thrown at me. Some days I do. On those days, I try to invite only myself to my little pity party. Mostly, it doesn’t bother me so much. Hey, I pulled off 54 years relatively unscathed and if I wasn’t so modest, I would tell you that for my age, I don’t look half bad. (She blushes prettily at the thought of admitting that.) It’s more that a lot of people could say and I have so much to be thankful for.
I may be seeing a stranger in the mirror, but I still have those really great 25 year old looking legs. Just ask Sweet Baboo.
Do you see a stranger in the mirror?? You can read more stories about them here at Sunday Scribblings.
