If you’re reading this you are most likely over 40 and curious about what the future holds for you. Or you’re over 50 and need a good laugh. You may be a son or daughter who’s looking through this blog deciding whether you should email it to your mom. You should. Your Mom sacrificed everything for you, the least you can do is send her a link to a funny article. It’s thoughtful and she might be setting up her will, so it’s also practical. Which kid do you think is going to get the good stuff? The fine China and antiques go to the child who took a few minutes out of their day to bring a smile to their dear mother’s face. The other brats get mom’s prized collection of MacDonald’s Happy Meal toys. Good luck Ebaying that crap.
This blog is for the ladies who thrived in their day and partied away their disco nights; my swinging sisters who rocked shoulder pads and stirrup pants. Our youthful enthusiasm simmered though our bodies, erupting skyward, raising our hair to the highest of heights (with the help a great new hair product called “mousse”). Our future was ahead of us, and most of us were in a pretty big hurry to get to it.
And now here we are, with our kids, our relationships, our ex’s, our estrogen patches, and our 401k’s. This is it, it’s what we wanted, or as close to it as we could get. The stress of the unknown has turned into the stress of trying to stay healthy and look young, to stay employable and relevant, and most important, find new dreams and goals. Maybe you gave up a great job to raise kids, or had to interrupt your career path due to illness, or you left a job you loved because your spouse was transferred to another city (in my case I dealt with all three). Every year makes every change just a little harder to come back from.
I remember being in my 20’s and looking at gals in their 60’s and 70’s who rode the bus next to me in New York City. Some were well-groomed women who wore nice clothes and carried designer handbags that matched their designer shoes. There were also women in thrift shop clothes, their gray hair bunched in the back of their heads and corralled with cheap drug store hair ties. Clearly the women with freshly manicured nails and salon prepped hair did not want for anything, at least not for money. The appearance of their less chic counterparts told a story of struggle and need. I always wondered which category I’d fall in to. Right now, it looks like I’m somewhere in the middle.
While I still feel young at heart, my brain begs to differ. Something happens in between my brain and my mouth, the words just don’t come like they used to. They used to flow like running water; now my mouth is a drippy word faucet. A thought pops into my head and tries to leave my brain, but there are tiny little state troopers in my skull, they pull my thoughts over, “So what’s the big hurry? Did you know you were fleeting? I’ll let you off with a warning this time, but if I ever catch you fleeting around this cerebrum again I’m hauling you in to the Department of Motor Skills.”
Being this close to a later stage of life gives you a chance to reevaluate, look at where you’ve been, where you are now, and plan accordingly. It gives you some control over the next steps you take. Of course you can’t go back in time, but you can make smart decisions that will get you where you want to go. They may not be easy decisions, and it may not mean having everything you thought you would at this point, but that doesn’t mean you should stop trying to get the most out of life.
Besides, there are plenty more decisions to make and adventures to be had. So many women over 40 say that they feel invisible, I refuse to feel invisible. I prefer to be an embarrassment! An embarrassment to my husband, my kid, and anyone else who thinks my best days are over. I say to hell with anyone who thinks that I should be sitting in a corner knitting booties for my cat. I don’t care what anyone thinks as long as I’m doing things that I enjoy, whether it befits a gal my age or not. We are not done until we go towards the light, and I don’t mean the oven light to check to see if the cookies are ready. People are living longer; we could be looking at retirement into our 90’s! Some of us are only half way there! And if you do feel invisible, step into the light!
This blog is your guide to a fun ride down Over the Hill Mountain. If we’re past our peak we shouldn’t slink down with our heads hung low, ashamed that we’re soft where we used to be firm, believing that our good times ended when a few gray hairs began. I say we grab a sled and slide down that hill with style!
