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I Am An Old Woman

Who knew? Everyone but me? I see myself as below

By Denise E LindquistPublished about 7 hours ago 3 min read
I Am An Old Woman
Photo by Sipho Ngondo on Unsplash

Yes, lots of hair! Then I remember that the worst thing in my life when I was younger was my new perm! I hated how it took days and sometimes weeks to be able to work with it. Today, my hair is thinning, and the worst thing in my life is the predicted 30 mph wind for today. I cover the thinning parts the best way I can, and then the wind totally messes with it.

When that is the worst thing in my life, I am doing pretty well, I've been told. I have thought that ever since. Just writing this sounds so self-centered! I think I have big brown eyes and nice brown skin. I don't. My eyes are not as big as they used to be. As I've aged, I've noticed the changes.

These changes, I don't allow myself to think about. The boots in the picture above, I have. I just don't wear anything with much of a heel anymore. It could throw me off balance.

I'm old! Then I think, well, what's the alternative? I prefer to stay alive for some time yet. So, I then I can leave the above thoughts alone. It is tough when you feel like and perhaps act like you are 20 years younger than you are.

This week I trained with a co-trainer who is 10 years older than me. I asked the audience to be patient with us, the oldest in the room. Being the oldest in the room is happening more and more for me. Or maybe I am just more aware of that fact.

The hotel we stayed at was noisy, and I didn't sleep well. I came home and slept for over eight hours. One morning there was a fire drill at the hotel, early one morning. I was already awake, but thought I might get back to sleep.

People pounding on someone's door and being loud in the hallway at two in the morning, another night. I then couldn't get back to sleep for two hours. That really does affect my mood. I told my co-trainer I really get those elderly curmudgeons.

We went to pick out some blankets for a blanket ceremony together and complained and laughed all the way there and back. I said, I can't mess with my sleep, or this is what happens. I get and stay negative. Good thing we recognize it she said.

We loved laughing together about the whole subject! I'm so glad we know how to have fun. We had a couple of conflicts during the presentation. No one knew but us, however. It happened on break. They passed quickly. We have been training together for many years. It happens.

We have two more trainings coming up. We will fix our conflicts before the next training. It wasn't with the material, it was with who is covering what. We have done training together for long enough to know we need to review our presentation before doing it. But we chose not to, and we did need to.

Aging isn't for the weak

I will work as long as I can

It is something I do seek

I will do whatever, man

~

I will keep my attitude

I have so much good in life

And remember gratitude

In life, stay away from strife

~

Do the very best with me

To take care of my health

It is always so easy to see

Working is not about wealth

~

I am aging, accept it

I don't have to like the shit!

~~~~

Authors note: Okay, my ending probably isn't the right ending, but it rhymes! And maybe it is the right ending! See how you feel in your seventies!

.

agingbodyfeaturefitnesshealthself carewellnessmental health

About the Creator

Denise E Lindquist

I am married with 7 children, 28 grands, and 13 great-grandchildren. I am a culture consultant part-time. I write A Poem a Day in February for 8 years now. I wrote 4 - 50,000 word stories in NaNoWriMo. I write on Vocal/Medium daily.

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  • Carol Ann Townendabout 4 hours ago

    I'm only 49, and one of my sons tells me I'm getting old because I turn 50 in July. I tell him, "Life doesn't come in numbers." As for the hair loss. I feel for you because I have been putting up with that since my twenties, though changing my shampoo has made things a bit better. I dye my hair, but I use plant based dies as they are gentler on my hair. I suffer from Alopecia. I think when it comes to age, it's actually a good thing to feel younger. That mentality and attitude is strength. Personally, I've never felt my age at all, and my mentality is caused by not being able to grow up properly. I used to see it as a bad and embarrassing thing, but now, I use it to its full advantage.

  • Mother Combsabout 4 hours ago

    I think we all feel this way, Denise. I know I do.

  • Lana V Lynxabout 6 hours ago

    Your attitude to age and aging is admirable, Denise. I also love the fact that you are still working and finding purpose in training. I wanna be like you when I get to that age.

  • Jennifer lindquistabout 7 hours ago

    The endings perfect. My mom’s almost eighty and she always said, age is just a number until she hit seventy five now she just says it’s shit. I’m fifty and I already feel my body breaking in peace’s so I can only imagine what it will feel like when I’m 79. But, I don’t want to be twenty again. At least the elderly have wisdom and great stories where the youth is still learning so I pick to be older you have more life and experience ahead of you. So don’t give up

  • Sara Wilsonabout 7 hours ago

    It's weird to feel like we are one way and then a mirror is like... Hey.... Lol. I have daughters and I feel like I'm the same age some days and then I remember I'm in my 30's, which I don't think is "old" but I'm definitely not 13 lol. I think our bodies age much faster than our brains have time to catch up. We learn more and stuff ... But we still laugh at silly things and feel younger, that's my experience for sure. I can be "mom" and "wife" but at the same time....hooooow did this happen? I was JUST 17 yesterday lol. Even my nieces and I can hang out and it's like we are the same age. I have a niece who calls me her best friend because she sees me as her age and I "get it" she says lol. At the end of the day, we are all just souls in borrowed people suits lol. The suit may be getting older, but we are all still kids on the playground forced into the work force 🤣 Love your piece.

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