Age. Just about the time you have gathered enough of it to be honored for it,society now wants to warp your title and pretend it's something of which to be ashamed! This is the travesty of the present day. How odd. Consider. Longevity is,and has been for many generations, a goal, sought after as life-long pursuits by medical scientists, researchers and doctors. Everybody seems to want it, and yet, just about the time that a person seems to be in a position to claim to have reached it, everyone flip-flops on it,and suddenly, nobody is referred to as being old...they are now, 85 years young! They lie about their age, or simply refuse to tell you how old they are! Some just stop having birthdays,and continue to be at a youthful age, the same one every year, fooling no-one,not even themselves. Not only that, but they have come up with the means by which they seemed to have stopped the clock, by face lifts, botox injections, and marvelous lotions and creams to undo what that most desirable age has done to them. They still want the age, they just don't want to look like they have it! Or, own up to the fact that they have it! I do believe that it all goes back to that which we see as valuable. It used to be that experience and wisdom was honored, and of course, it was the elders of society that held that office. Beyond that, most are motivated in their quest for long life, not to simply be long in years and having gathered knowledge, but also fear of death.Anything to help them avoid the inevitable, and the unknown, is preferable to facing the fact that sooner or later, we all die. And, so it is that, now our society has made youth and beauty synonymous...having the same meaning,when in actuality, this is not true. While youth can be very beautiful, obviously it does not last, which is why the multitudes seem to worship the young, and kick aside the older members of our communities,forgetting that true beauty is not what one sees from the skin out, but that which is contained in an individuals mind, personality and spirit. Being pretty in the face and body as a youth may help you get through a job interview so you can get the position, but if you faked your way through collage, and didn't legitimately obtain a degree, so that you can do the job, you won't have it long. In fact, there are few jobs in which looks are an asset, and even fewer that one would be proud to admit to. Pretty or homely, a person has to have something behind that face,and beyond that body to offer the job market,because, let's be honest here. Not every girl with nice skin, good bones, and a winning smile is going to be a star! Not every man with the frame of a body builder, thick hair and a square jaw is going to have a chance to be in the movies! Many will listen to others and try, and most will fail, and go back home and take a mundane job that pays the bills and settle down, get married and have kids,and somehow feel secure in the secret understanding that if they had kept at it, one day, they might have been up on that silver screen, famous, adored,and rich beyond their wildest dreams...and it didn't happen, but hey! I've still got my looks! And with that to hold them, they go along from day to day, year to year, dazzling the opposite sex with their animal magnetism, and so comfortable knowing that,as attractive they are,they have no need to continue educating themselves, or striving to learn or otherwise grow intellectually. They don't want to be a dweeb or a geek. They are having way too much fun running around, drinking, partying, and in general enjoying the social scene, until one day they get a good look at themselves, and Whoa! What's this? Something is wrong! What happened to my hair line? Or, wait a minute! I'm not cute anymore! Little by little, at the parties, the attractive people, the beautiful girls, and handsome men aren't paying any attention to me, and even though the dweebs and geeks try to befriend me, I have no idea what they are talking about,so we have nothing to say to each other. Those who are getting older,and start to show it, are now suddenly out in the cold! Not a pleasant foretaste of what is to come, is it? Of course, that is not they way it will be for all, simply because some of us have not spent our lives depending on our looks in order to fit in. Some of you are still saying, well, that won't be me. I'll always look good. Well, for your sake, I hope your right, but you never know what is just around the corner. In the meantime, consider what you will do, when you reach that place where you know you are getting on in years. Will you "have work done?" Or, are you taking really good care of yourself, and trust that you will always be proud to say how old you are, no matter what? There are so many variables in this subject, that it is difficult to know exactly how to proceed, to keep one's self fit, body, mind and spirit. But, personally, I defer to Mrs.Ah! Otherwise known as my mother. Beautiful, she was, and sharp as a tack, right up to the day she died, at 78. She kept herself impeccably groomed, but never went overboard.Never had any cosmetic surgery, and yet put to shame women 20 years younger. She read anything she could get her hands on, and was capable of carrying on a conversation with anyone, on any subject. People found her fascinating because there was never any artifice about her age. She would tell anyone how old she was,and didn't care who knew it. She was proud of every year,every grandchild, and every pale strand she found in her head full of that thick auburn hair. Being a red-head, she didn't go white, she went blonde. Being my mother's daughter, I too am proud of my age, and don't go mumbling when asked by a doctor or anyone else with the right to know how old I am. I am not one of these prissy pink-tea society ladies who are horrified if they have to reveal their age. Phooey on that noise. I have lived every one of my years, and am darned grateful the Lord got me this far!
So, if you, or someone in your life is given to lying about their age, or thinks they will be looked down upon because they are getting on in years, kindly remind them, or yourself, to consider the alternative.Those who are no longer getting older, are dead.
And I hear it can be very embarrassing when you and your mother are both approaching the same age, from opposite directions!
OUI?
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