Aging: 20 Plus

One day, you are young. The next day, you find yourself smack dab in the middle of the aging process. I don’t know when that process started. I just woke up one day and realised I was getting old. Some days I forget. Inside, I am still in my early twenties. Then, something happens, and I am once more surprised by my age and limitations. But then again, there are days when I’m surprised by my ability to do certain things. Funny story: When I met my future husband, Dominic, we spent nights talking and getting to know each other. He was from Italy, coming over as a child. He brought many old-world ideas and concepts with him. One night I invited my 79-year-old mother to the restaurant where we would meet so she might get acquainted. As we talked, he innocently asked her how she had gotten to the restaurant. She told him that she had driven. His shock was palpable! Unfortunately for him, he announced this to her and me. She was not amused. It took weeks for him to win back a positive moment from her, and I’m not sure she ever forgot that moment. I obviously did not.

Anyway, it is hard enough to have people, especially family, judge you by the numbers. It is even harder when your body begins to betray you and your psyche joins in. Moving to the East/South I have been dealing with food changes. My body has decided to “reward” me with heartburn when I eat too late in the day or when I eat too many carbs or gluten. When I get heartburn, my mind rewards me with nightmares; not the kind filled with blood and death, but the kind you find on Lifetime movies where someone is angry or mean or just plain dysfunctional. The 20-something in me just had to try the grits, and the bisquits and gravy, and the fried okra. The aging me has had to put a giant slowdown on all of that craziness. Crazy food equals crazy dreams.

I spend quiet evenings in my apartment. I have been getting back into exercising and stretching, but I need to be more consistent. I still do my yoga-relax breaths. I still go to church and worship God. I believe these things will help my aging body and boomerang mind. As far as aging goes, I can’t stop the river from flowing, but I can keep the floodgates in good working condition.

I still occasionally cheat and eat a heaped serving of pasta, and I still pay the price.
I guess it is time to grow up!