Birthdays

Life Must Go On

Your hair has turned white.
Your skin is parchment.
You have a bulldog's jowls.

You ask yourself
What Mother's face is doing
in the mirror.

She sticks out her tongue.

You wonder where the years went
and with horror
realize you forgot to flush
the toilet.

Taken from:
When I Am An Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple
Edited by: Sandra Martz

Happy Birthday to me (almost) so here are a few of my thoughts on getting older so far.

I think it's nice to be aging. Except for the swollen knuckles and dental issues, and dark circles, and wrinkles, and hot flashes. It's nice to wander in a crowd of people and be overlooked, because you're the old lady. I'm not old and dying by any means but getting there. My birthday is coming up. Mister asked if I wanted to go out to dinner. Did I want to go to the movies? Honestly after a long work week, my favorite entertainment is found within the walls of our home. I like a nice dinner at home and a good movie from the comfort of our couch. I have a few grey hairs. My naturally dark black hair from behind looks youthful, and then my face shows all of the signs of aging. I like the grey, it matches my age spots and laugh lines. Growing old gracefully is an art form and an older appearance is a whimsical thing. I'm embracing the outer old lady with a carefree inner heart.
Where the heck did I put the ibuprofen?