Indeed! One day will come when you’ll feel bad about having considered “middle age” as a horrible stage. When? My guess is one of those dreaded “birthday” days. You’ll discover that the specter of the “what do they call it”? 3rd age, post menopause age, or better “The End” age is looming in the horizon; not any horizon, solely yours.
Yes! That “creepy” old age you thought would never happen to you is looming and feels ominously close. You’re in your the fifties! How did it happen? A few years back you thought 30 was old and that you’d rather die than become 40. Year after year you’ve pushed the “deadline”- no pun intended- you feel young and alive but soon you’ll start to be considered a “senior”! Please stop the consolation gibberish of some “know-it-all” going on and on with their litany about how much “I prefer myself now (nasal voice), I feel so much more mature, I have a better understanding of life and people ….I’m at ease in my body.” Of course they are at ease!
Why wouldn’t you be comfortable if you choose to leave your hair become gray and boring, prefer to wear ugly medical flats (some not so ugly), large shirts and pants or large old hippy style skirts and tops. Why wouldn’t you ”let go!” since nobody worth a second glance is looking at you? You can wear anything; you are not “visible anymore”.
Do we envy the ones who faced the world and chose to “let go”? Of course we do.
What a huge relief to be able to stop the never-ending hard work: Botox, mini lift, fillings every few months and mostly all that spending…. working out like a slave every single day and dieting forever and, what for? Staying young as long as we can?
Yes! Young means more and more staying healthy (rephrase it). The bad news is that some of us have to keep a younger appearance. The pressure of the media, fashion, work and society are incredibly huge on dinoWs nowadays.
Let’s go over the cases where it’s a condition sine qua none to stay as young as possible:
- You’ve always cared for your appearance and health and you feel it’s your duty to stay as fit and young as long as you can. You’re willing to put the price.
- You still haven’t accepted the fact that you’re growing old and you absolutely want to push away that hideous old age as much as you can. You insist on wearing your daughter’s clothes to prove to yourself and the world that you’re still young and attractive.
- Your partner is younger, looks younger or is fighting an impossible quest to stay young (the wannabe forever young) who is always chasing damsels in distress the age of his daughters). It means you need to look younger even if your darling spouse barely looks at you anymore. You’re insecure and feel viscerally that you have to stay in the race to even things out with him.
- You’re still working and have to look young and trendy to “compete” with the younger generation. You don’t want to feel like a granny every time you’re meeting with clients.
As the years go by, you’ll tire of all the hard work especially when you notice that the only “gentlemen” looking at you are “seniors” with 3 hairs covering their obvious baldness and trying so hard to suck in their obvious belly parading as if they still have It. The “It” synonymous of “Hunk or stud”.