The New Middle-Age

Several readers took offense at the the title of yesterday's blog, and assured me that we are NOT old ladies.  Of course we aren't old as in OLD, but for much of my previous life I would have considered this age to be "old-ish".  Certainly being old enough to retire was once considered old, and I have met many people younger than me who looked and acted OLD.

Am I actually old?  Nope, I am not really ready to be categorized as old, and in fact think I am probably middle-aged, the new middle-aged.  I can still do most of the things I once did, though perhaps a bit more slowly now, and I know I am not as strong as I once was.  But I can still carry 40# boxes of chicken backs down the basement stairs which is one of the little tests I set for myself.  I can still carry and empty the 5 gallon buckets of water when I siphon fish tanks - though probably should stop doing that.  I can still run with a Dalmatian of course, no small feat, but I "feel" these things now, and I automatically grab the jar opener instead of trying to open jars by hand.

My weight is the same as it was 40 years ago, and I still wear the same size clothes, but it's distributed a little differently and I have to eat a bit more carefully to stay at this weight.  I AM more tired at the end of a tough work day and have a bit more trouble dragging myself out of bed at the crack of dawn.

I've always been forgetful, so that's not much different, although I can't spout off pedigrees as well as I once did, but I continue to challenge myself with electronic gadgets to keep my mind agile.  My eyes and ears are showing their age a bit, but they still work OK.  How lucky I am!

When I have a doctor's appointment I'm always pleased to be able to say that I take no medications other than my eye drops and the nurses invariably comment on how fortunate I am.  And I am!  Part of it is because I take care of myself, watch my weight and get lots of exercise, but part of it is being born with pretty good genes.

Age is partly a state of mind and I do not FEEL old.  I feel just like I always did, so the aging is mostly on the outside.  We'll put off the old lady stuff for a few more years I guess - at least until I can afford to retire!