I actually only have one resolution this year, and that is to age gracefully. The whole aging thing sort of caught me by surprise. It shouldn't have. Nine years ago when my mother died, a friend I hadn't seen in a long time came to the viewing. The first thing I thought was,"That's Bob!" The second thing was, " and why does he have gray hair?"
I come from stock that shows the signs of aging slowly, so I have found few gray hairs in comparison to my friends. That doesn't mean they don't surprise me. And then there is the question of what to do with them My daughter-in-law seems particularly interested in this. "Are you going to dye it, Mom?," she asks. I am different from the other mother figures she has. She wants examples, and I don't blame her. My mom was sick when I was her age, and I didn't have good role models for life after forty, so I looked around for women I admired. My own daughter is much more realistic. She knows that the chances of my maintaining my hair after it is dyed or highlighted are slim to none, so she told me I should gray gracefully.
And then there is the RA. For the uninitiated, that means rheumatoid arthritis. THAT has been a learning experience in and of itself, and I have not always taken the changes that are necessary gracefully. Fortunately, I have a very supportive husband and children that understand. But the reality is that I may leave the workforce, and then the question is, "who am I and what do I want to be when I grow up?" I thought I had that all settled.
I know it will be a good year. My baby, who is 25, is getting her life together. My son and his wife were blessed with a new baby on December 22. I know I will enjoy watching him grow as I have watched his brother. They live ten hours away, and still remembering the two-year-old's, "Grandma, look a' me!" brings tears to my eyes. And my husband doesn't mind being married to an almost fifty-year-old, though years ago he joked and said that when I reached this age he would trade me in on two twenty-fives.
So...here's to the NewYear! I hope I am wise enough to see the things I need to learn.
I come from stock that shows the signs of aging slowly, so I have found few gray hairs in comparison to my friends. That doesn't mean they don't surprise me. And then there is the question of what to do with them My daughter-in-law seems particularly interested in this. "Are you going to dye it, Mom?," she asks. I am different from the other mother figures she has. She wants examples, and I don't blame her. My mom was sick when I was her age, and I didn't have good role models for life after forty, so I looked around for women I admired. My own daughter is much more realistic. She knows that the chances of my maintaining my hair after it is dyed or highlighted are slim to none, so she told me I should gray gracefully.
And then there is the RA. For the uninitiated, that means rheumatoid arthritis. THAT has been a learning experience in and of itself, and I have not always taken the changes that are necessary gracefully. Fortunately, I have a very supportive husband and children that understand. But the reality is that I may leave the workforce, and then the question is, "who am I and what do I want to be when I grow up?" I thought I had that all settled.
I know it will be a good year. My baby, who is 25, is getting her life together. My son and his wife were blessed with a new baby on December 22. I know I will enjoy watching him grow as I have watched his brother. They live ten hours away, and still remembering the two-year-old's, "Grandma, look a' me!" brings tears to my eyes. And my husband doesn't mind being married to an almost fifty-year-old, though years ago he joked and said that when I reached this age he would trade me in on two twenty-fives.
So...here's to the NewYear! I hope I am wise enough to see the things I need to learn.
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