Topic : Are You Afraid to Age?

i hate the thought of ageing. 

for some reason when i was a kid i thought i'd be young for ever, hah, how naive. 

 i am 32.  as i have gotten older, i has seen signs of ageing not just only on the out side.  aches and pains, wrinkles, and well, gravity isn't being kind to me either, lol.  i have a small issue with my yunf=g girls ageing too, they make me feel older.  i try not to dwell on the ineviatable too much, but i'm hateing looking into the mirror every year.

if i had the resources, i would have cosmetic surgery, for sure, but i can't justify the costs, or the risks.  i also don't want to be a bad role model for my girls and give them my petty issues too.  it's all just a losing battle.

i've been having a think of ways i keep feeling young & not looking older than i am.

my girls keep me young, i make sure i can keep up with them, sports, playing etc.  i work in construction with my husband, so my day to day work is very physical.  i keep my "sometimes foods" at a minimum at shopping day once a week.  when i reward myself i don't always buy chocolate.  this is hard as i am a chocoholic big time, lol.

i choose to take the stairs, over lifts and make sure i do some sort of excersice through out the day, even yoga to relax b4 bed.  i don't over-do anything, i beleive in everything in moderation, with sensibilty.

i am also known to just be silly at times for no real reason, but it lets my inner child out now n then.

I'm 45 and lucky to be alive.  I was a bit of a wild child in my youth and much of what I did should have killed me, but I'm still here.  I'm struggling with many issues, but age isn't one of them.

When I was growing up, the older you were, the more respect you commanded.  I'm a Southern farm kid and was raised to be quiet and listen to my elders.  There are times when that isn't really the appropriate way to treat a child - I was molested for about 14 years and no one would listen or believe because I was a child - but all things considered, it really was better for me to be "seen and not heard".  Had I been a loudmouth, I'd have missed the most wonderful stories, so much family history, and so much laughter from the adults around me.  By keeping quiet and listening, I learned that older people really were wiser than the rest of us and if I really wanted to learn (I wanted to know everything as a child) then I'd listen to my elders.  I'm glad I was raised that way.

Now, that having been said, I wanted nothing more as a child than to get old.  I wanted to be one of the wise people, one who was respected.  I knew that I'd only get respect if I got old and wise.  I wanted to be someone others turned to for advice, someone who had, if not all the answers, then at least a lot of them.

The older I get, the more respect I get from young people, though not nearly as much as older people got when I was a child.  Still, it's better than what I got when I was a kid.  Young people actually listen to me now.  I'm grateful for that, and grateful that the idiot stunts I tried as a kid didn't kill me.  Every additional year means just a little bit more respect, just a little more knowledge, and a little more wisdom.

I still want to know everything, I want to learn learn learn.....I have more books than the law should allow.  Looks be damned, I want to know more about the world, about life.  I don't care about gray hair, wrinkles or saggy boobs, I care what's in my head and my heart.  The rest is just window dressing and almost completely irrelevent to WHO I am. 

I'm grateful for every birthday because it means I'm still alive, and as long as I'm alive, I still have a chance to learn and maybe even to grow.  The "growing" part is why I came here.  :-)

Maybe that's trite, I don't know.  I do know that it's true.  I want to keep getting older, and I hope someday I'll be as respected as old people were when I was growing up.

Valoren

First of all -  I liked what you wrote-thank you-

Second-  I hope you eventually did tell about being molested for so many years-that is not something to keep to yourself-

So you like to read ALOT??   WONDERFUL!!!   So do I!!!!

Maybe some day you can write a book of your own!!!

I also want to say that so many people  spend so much money on 'fountain of youth ' products-  I watch those infomercials and the home shopping networks  and noticed all the 'say young looking products'  Do they REALLY work?   So many people spend so much money on that stuff-not to mention all the stories about plastic surgery or what not to make you look younger-

The heart is what matters most ( and having a healthy positive attitude as well)-  Age is just a number- 

We are all going to get older-  That is inevitable-    Look at the folks who are in their 70's and 80's and 90's- They are doing things that keep them 'young' active and LIVING- 

Age gracefully- have a good attitiude-  and do not worry about what other people think-  And do not feel or be swayed by  what you see advertised on the telly or papers or internet to have to 'leel' young-  I think it is how you feel inside (even despite aches and pains) that will make a difference for you-  Be the best you can be and look for people who  see the BEST in you!     (  I am learning learning and learning as much as I possibly can-  I did not have it easy growing up either- )

I think my husband is more of afraid me aging than I am.  I  take care of myself without being extreme.  I'm comfortable in my skin and still attractive enough  at age 62 to  get  all the attention I need.  Sometimes I flirt with other men in front of him just to prove to him I still have what it takes.   Two days ago I was hit on by a 28 year old.  I think that will keep him quiet for awhile!!!

Since I was a child, for some reason I have always thought to myself "life doesn't start until you are 40".  And it is really funny, I am now 41 and looking back on things, that is what happened for me.  At the age of 40 I was a depressed and miserable person but began to realize it pretty quickly.  I got a divorce after 9 years of marriage and met someone (after my divorce was final) on Match.com.  He is the most wonderful man I have ever been with and we have been married now for 4 months.  So aging does not bother me at all.  And I love Robin's attitude about the 50's.  I am looking so forward to it. 

Rox

I am not scared of aging in the sense that I am afraid to look old but the problems that age brings, such as health.  I look at my mother and my grandmother and see what age has done to them because they have taken such poor care of themselves.  My grandmother had a stroke and was partially paralyzed when she was 59.  A year ago my mom nearly died from pneumonia and she has problems walking up a small hill without getting completely winded.

I see myself travelling down the same road.  I am 30 years old and severely overweight and have recently been diagnosed with diabetes and high cholesterol.  I know as you get older, these conditions become more severe and harder to fix.  I am trying to fix the problems but it is a long hard road but I am doing it both for myself and to set a good example for my daughter.