Little Old Lady -- Turning 60

OVERVIEW  Not bad at all, the 60's. In fact, they're good.  Barring catastrophe, 60's people carry on well.  Your sixties usually means retirement. In most cases, finances are OK.  We can get around and enjoy, still contribute, travel.  We have our wits about us.  It's fun!

And we're still vibrant. I mean, to my surprise, I got a couple of serious compliments from younger men while in my 60's. Their wives or someone told me that the husbands had said, "for an older woman" Donna was pretty "foxy."  A little weird, but I'm just telling that. 

Here we're all in our late 60's or early 70's

Of course, you still worry about the changes, but you laugh over it with your OLD friends.  You can't move around as fast. One girlfriend told about getting on her hands and knees to crawl out of the bathtub.  Another one couldn't reach to clip her toe nails. We laughed ourselves silly.

 

 


SIGNS OF THE TIMES
You see other signs throughout the 60's decade.

Diminished height
Sagging eyelids, more face wrinkles
Graying hair--possibly thinning
More memory loss, usually short term
Less energy
Food intolerance (often milk, red meat)
Bladder issues
Hearing diminished
Neuropathy in feet, middle toes
Tendency to hunch over
Occasional hand tremors
Possible joint issues
more

FALSE ALARMS
Since you're expecting to age, you may think you're aging when it's something else.

1. I went to a neurologist for neuropathy in my middle toes and fingers, thinking they were related. Turns out my feet were, in fact, aging slowly but nothing to worry about.  My hands, on the other hand, were just coincidental.  I learned that I had a weird habit. After slathering my dry hands in oily lotion at bedtime, I would curl up my fingers to avoid get grease on the sheets.  The curling-fingers habit was causing the neuropathy.  I stopped and it stopped.

2. We see so many bladder commercials that when I found myself needing to go more often I accepted it philosophically. "This is my life now."  But I was miserable, looking for a WC every hour.  After months, I finally took an anti-biotic, following the dosage strictly, and I felt young again! The problem wasn't age but a simple, curable infection.

APPEARANCE
Honestly, most of my friends look at their appearance differently.  As you get older, you still want to look nice, but you drop any ideas of trying to be cool.  That is, any aged woman who is trying to look young or keep up with stylin' trends just looks sad.  Some opt for an "artsy" look but that can appear hippie and contrived.  I mean, "You're that old and you're in that get-up, still focused on looks?"

I say, let the measure of your appearance be your character. And I'm not kidding. No one is looking at you expecting you to be a fashion maven.  I don't try to buy clothes for my 30 something figure--it's gone.  That doesn't mean you give up. Most women go for traditional dress. Tasteful, understated, classic

But "pretty" gets a new definition. It is, in all honesty, an evaluation of your FACE--not for "beauty" in the young sense, but for kindness, for your character.  One of my friends said that by the time women get old, they all look the same.  In a sense she's right.

Do stand up straight.  There are easy posture exercises. Ask Ben Gunn. I was fairly good until I was in a car accident and hunched over against the pain. I've had to work at standing tall. Well, 5'1" is not exactly tall.  Yes, you shrink.

MENOPAUSE
This probably will start in your 50's.  I'm not writing about it much because it is so different for every woman that I'm afraid I can't help. My mother hardly noticed it, but my cousin has had hot flashes for over 20 years. : /   I started taking Premarin in my late 40's at  Dr. Staheli's  suggestion.  The research said it was good for your heart.  Then the research said it was bad.  Then good.  Then I realized that Estrodial was much cheaper.  I'm only now going off of it altogether, and going through the hot flash thing again.

Along the same lines, what about intimacy? Are older women still active?  There's so much written about it that I don't need to add more.
 
CAUTIONS
1.) Take care of your back. Through the years, be careful.  Don't lift heavy things.  Bend and use your legs.  Or better yet, kneel down to get that spot off the floor or that item on the bottom shelf  rather then bending to the task. It takes longer but worth it to PROTECT YOUR BACK. 

2.) Your eyelids collapse.  This happens suddenly.  At first you think your face is puffy in the morning mirror.  You're surprised that your eyelids are swollen, but by afternoon it's gone.  But in the coming days you realize that, no, your eyelids are sagging--and it's permanent.  Most women consider their eyes their best feature, so this is a big loss, a big change. [Caution: warning about getting "work done" in another post.]

Turning 50

I liked my 50th birthday, a simple party at Sara and Steve's. In fact, I've been OK on most birthdays provided I've filled my life with the things that matter most and that I've used my time, my turn on Earth.  I only feel panic when I feel like I'm off track or have wasted time or missed opportunity.

I deserved to be celebrated for turning 50.   I had worked hard. Sacrificed.  Sought opportunities, and made them. I had loved. And I had been loved.  Our wonderful, amazing children were getting married, having babies, going on missions.

On my 50th birthday, I didn't know Mike and I had just two years left.

Fifties are good years.  You're conscious of being older, but so busy you don't have time to worry. You anticipate aging, but you still feel good, and really, you know you still look good. 

I was 55 when I remarried.