I heard an interview on the Diane Reahm Show awhile back. I don't remember the name of the author or the book she'd just published, and I'd missed the beginning of the show, anyway. What did make a big impression on me, however, was her exhortation to a caller to "love your neck". She asked her if she'd looked at her neck lately, and the caller, said, ashamedly, "No." Apparently, the author had been awoken one day, quite rudely, with the reality of her aging, which was particularly apparent on her face and neck.


I've watched, unhappily, the increasing lies around my eyes, and the appearance of some new creases in my skin that hadn't been there before this summer. My neck looks okay, I guess ... so far... but I did notice a new crease, right by my mouth, today. When I smile, I have an extra smile line on the left side of my face, that's not matched on the right side...and when I stop smiling, it's still there.


Now, I've invested in Arbonne's all-natural age-fighting regime, and I'm pretty faithful about using it (in the morning, at least...at night, I'm just too tired to do too many steps.) I'm careful to use sunblock and not get too much sun exposure, and I drink a lot of water, and eat healthily. But the clock keeps ticking, doesn't it, and the pages on the calendar still keep needing to be flipped.


I've pondered, what is it, exactly, that I want? I'm not into the whole routine of many I've seen who get injections of serums meant to preserve, or renew, youth...and those into Botox and all it's relations. Age is inevitable, and I don't want to look fake with a 20-year-old face on a 60-year-old body one day. (I saw a lady like that once in Southampton that nearly scared me to death. Her face looked at least 40 years younger than her hands. It was creepy!)

But I do want to age gracefully, and be active and peppy and intelligent to the day I die, with lots of energy to do all the things I love. I've watched women who are 40 years older than I, and more, and found ones I particularly admire. There's one who's recently taken up the flute, another who still goes dancing every night, and another who's always busy in the garden cross-breeding and experimenting with different soil pHs, still trying to get the perfect tomato. There are two in their late 80's, one's a music teacher, and the other an ESL teacher, who still teach and have a passion for it. They seem to be perfectly comfortable with who they are, and the place they've come to.

Today I talked with a gentleman who's well into his 60's, who has a respected law firm with many younger partners, as well as older ones. The younger ones wanted to know at what age he was going to put in a policy of enforced retirement. He said "Never." His elder colleagues were still practicing law, using their experienced edge to run circles around the younger ones, and were very happy doing it. Why should they stop?

They say "50 is the new 40, 40 is the new 30," etc. I think we have a new view on age today, than perhaps we did 20 yrs. ago. While age is not respected as it once was, or is still in some societies, it is also not viewed as obsolescence. I remember an ad that said, "Don't lie about your age...defy it."

So what do I do? I'm back in college, with many other ladies older than myself, going through a career change. Some of my fellow students are over 55, and are planning a whole new career, having already completed one. That takes guts, and I have nothing but respect for them.

I'm gonna keep coloring my new grays, keep putting the age-defying potions on my face, keep beating my body into submission with exercise, keep forcing my brain to tackle new languages and new concepts...and I am not going to quietly retire, an old woman, at 55. Who has time for that? I'm too busy, at 43, to even think of it.