Age

I've been thinking alot lately about how we joke that people begin and end as infants, the very elderly often in nursing homes and being totally cared for like newborns. It's not the ending any of us would like for ourselves, but I have seen another piece of that truth.

I watch as my two-year-old granddaughter changes by the week. Monthly we see her face change and her vocabulary grow. From the time they are born, children change so quickly it's easy to see when we go for weeks at a time between visits. This is especially evident to us with our grandchildren in Pennsylvania because we typically go about 6 weeks from one visit to the next and changes are so obvious. We always remark about how much they've grown or matured.

Well now I'm seeing the other end of that "circle of life" as I see changes on my own face almost daily. It's amazing to me how quickly we age after a certain point. For so many years of our lives, from about fifteen to about fifty-five I would way for women - perhaps a bit different for men - we stay pretty much the same. We change our hairstyles or lose and gain weight, but overall we don't change all that much. But now, as I enter into the lasts part of my life, I can once again see dramatic change occurring. My face is aging with breathtaking speed. I notice new wrinkles, and sagging places, all the time when I put my make-up on in the morning. Of course the aches and pains are also a constant reminder of age, but nothing is quite as startling than seeing a strange face in the mirror! Sometimes I am so startled by what I see it makes me stop what I'm doing and look more closely. One would think we would adjust to the changes, but so far I haven't and it surprises me.

I don't mind getting older - in fact, I welcome it. As my father always said, its better than the alternative! As long as I can enjoy my life, be active and feel as though I'm contributing to society in some way, I am fine with getting older. But I am coming to understand the attraction of plastic surgery for those who can afford it. Somehow slowing the process down a little might be less unsettling!

And I can only imagine my daughter and son-in-law looking at each other when we drive out of the driveway in Pennsylvania and remarking about how much we've aged.....LOL!