At What Age Does THIS Happen?

Baggy capris that hit just above the ankle.  White tennis shoes.  Tapered choppy haircut.  Seems to be the uniform of every woman I know who's above age 48. 
At age 35, I find myself starting to look at some of my clothes and wonder, "is this too young for me?" Although it's depressing to be at an age where I now have to consider this, what's even more depressing is the thought of getting rid of my coveted (and expensive) clothes.  I definitely would not want to be seen wearing something that is too young for me though.  I like the words of Stacy London, fashion guru formerly of the show "What Not To Wear".  She says- don't look at getting rid of clothes that no longer suit you as a bad thing, look at it as- you're evolving!  And who wouldn't want to evolve?  (except those 50's styles get a pass in my book- gosh I love the classiness that was back then).
I mean, why WOULDN'T you want to look your best everyday?  Why throw on a menswear sack of a t shirt, sweats, and gymshoes when it's just as easy to put on a fitted top, slim jeans and cute ballet flats or boots?  And a little makeup goes a long way.  My routine takes me 5 minutes but it's the difference between looking unnoticed to great and maybe noticed in my opinion.  And when you look your best you feel your best!  That's why I refuse to put a price tag on highlighting my hair or cute clothes! Feeling good is priceless and if I can help it along with artificial means, why not?

I Hate Working Out

Despise it.  Yet I force myself to do it three times a week.  It is torture.  I have to psych myself up to do it EVERY SINGLE TIME.  And I've been doing it for about eight years now!  Here are some things I mentally think of that help me...
I often think of a large unhealthy person I saw that day.  Yes, that may sound cruel, but it helps to remind me why I am doing it.  I don't want to become that!  Also, when I am often outside jogging, I rarely see others out.  I picture all the unhealthy people in their homes, sitting on the couch, eating unhealthy food, growing larger, and that motivates me.  I think, "that is not ME!"  I tell myself this will only take an hour out of my day, I'm just going to grin and bear it and get it over with. I used to reward myself with ice cream afterwards but quickly realized that was counterintuitive! Also I think of this favorite quote- "if you don't make time for your health today, prepare to make time for illness tomorrow."  I mean, really, why isn't taking care of our bodies via exercise just a daily thing we all do and incorporate into our lives, like going to work, showering, or preparing meals?  Those take time but why are they any less necessary than exercise?  Why are our OWN BODIES the last priority?
I often doubt the people that say they have no time to work out.  These same people are always talking about their favorite TV shows!  So yes they have time, their priorities are simply not straight.  Also, weigh yourself daily in the morning.  It sure keeps weight gains in check.  Ignoring your weight is not the answer.
Lastly, why do I exercise?  Because it feels so good when I am done!

Rejection

I think it is normal human nature to have rejection hurt.  We all want to be loved, accepted and adored.  I think the level at which you handle it matters.  I can honestly say to myself when someone rejects me, it is THEIR loss.  They never got to fully know or appreciate me, and some reject me without getting to know me at all!  I realize I am uniquely special and kind. They lost out on knowing an awesome human being because they failed to notice I was right there!   If you have been spurned by a romantic interest, just know that that person was not the right person for you.  The right one is out there and is wondering what you are like.  They will be there when you are sick, sad, or not your best self.  They will love and appreciate everything about you and love you for YOU.  You will be inseparable.  If love is not like this or you find yourself loving them more than they love you, it's time to let go.  This was not meant to be.  Except in the rare cases when love comes back.  As in maybe a different time, a different place.  As the saying goes, "if you love something set it free..."  Age and experience really do make us wiser.  I just wish I had this knowledge at 16 when I was dealing with my teenage angst.  If only I had the self confidence then to realize, "you're going to treat me like crap?  NEXT!"

Awareness

We often hear the term "awareness" when it follows breast cancer or AIDS, for example.  Are there really people out there not aware of those medical conditions?  And can you really even prevent breast cancer even if you are "aware" and don't you know what causes AIDS by now?  My point is, I wish people would focus more attention on OTHER causes that are life threatening as well.  (not that breast cancer and AIDS are not important issues!)  For example life threatening allergies.  More and more people seem to have them these days for reasons unknown and yet if you are not afflicted it is an inconvenience.  An eye roll.  And I'll confess I used to be one of those people.  I scoffed when my son was told to never bring treats to school with peanuts.  "Why inconvenience everyone else for one individual?"  used to be my thinking.  Until karma reared its ugly head and my now 2 year old was found to be allergic to peanuts and tree nuts.  Deathly allergic.  The tiniest amount could KILL my sweet angel.  I have such anxiety about it that we don't even take him to restaurants.  After all, if I can't physically see a label telling me what's in the food, why should I trust a chef or waitress with my child's life?  I wish people were more "aware" of this topic and realized it is nothing to scoff at or take lightly when lives are at stake.  You can't just pick off nuts and expect them to then eat the food.  Once the nuts have touched the food it is contaminated.  I wish all people knew to ask the parent before they hand your child any treat to eat.  We hate to be a pain but we have to be! Another issue I am passionate about is suicide awareness after I just recently found out an old friend had been lost at the tender age of 22 to this sickness.  And that's what it is- a mental sickness that needs awareness, not a stigma or "someone else's problem" attached to it. Again that used to be me.  I was ignorant until I was unfortunately touched by it.  And shockingly it has altered my life.  I no longer feel like I am the same person.  And although I refuse to judge, I wonder how so many people with mental illness get access to guns.  Some, like my friend, were police officers or military members!  I think it may just be way too easy if you had an extra bad day and there's a gun in plain sight.  I wonder what warning signs were missed for all these sad victims.  If we were ALL more aware, could we greatly reduce this preventable tragedy?  Lastly I bring forth the cases of women suffering from obstetric fistulas.  In plain English, women in poor countries with complicated labors may labor for days with a dead infant stuck inside them.  Soon the pelvic tissues start dying off due to reduced blood flow and after the shock of finally delivering a dead infant, the woman is left leaking uncontrollable amounts of urine and or feces.  Due to no or much too costly or far off medical care, these women are outcasts for the rest of their lives.  Their husbands divorce them.  Their smell is unbearable.  Many commit suicide.  I bring this cause to attention because I suffered from it after a botched c section surgery where my bladder was cut.  I was miserable for about 4 months until a second surgery finally fixed me for good.  But I was lucky enough to be born in the USA where medical care like this is a given.  In other poor countries, these women suffer needlessly when most cases can be resolved with relatively simple surgeries.  I highly recommend reading the book "The Hospital By The River" by Dr. Catherine Hamlin.  This saint of a woman dedicated her life to helping and fixing these afflicted women in Africa.  Basically this is a quality of life issue for women that no one should have to live with. Simple surgeries and donations are all that's needed.  Thank you for opening your mind today!

Rock a Bye...BUZZARD?

One day when I came home from work I asked the husband how our 2 month old son's day was.  He responded jokingly with, "that buzzard barely slept all day!"  At first I was horrified.  I said, "aww mean!"  But the more I though about it the more I got a good laugh out of that description for a baby.  Hey he's practically bald.  Always hovering around.  Always eating.  Always...there.  I texted my sister what he said and she responded with, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"  Again I laughed.