I have never had a problem with getting older, or "revealing" my age to people. When I was little, there was a family in our neighbourhood where not even the children knew how old their mother actually was. This changed in later years, and my Mum especially has been to many of this lady's birthdays over the decades. But I remember how silly I found this, since my parents never made such a fuss about their age.
Turning 30 was interesting - it made me feel really good, and I couldn't help but shake my head at how all of a sudden, cosmetics companies sent me adverts for anti-age creams and wrinkles concealers, and my health insurance started sending me a different customer magazine than the one I had received until then.
At 40, I thought I had the coming years neatly mapped out in front of me, and again I had no trouble with that number. Little did I know that 1 1/2 years later, I was going to be widowed, with my life changed forever.
For my 50th birthday, I was happy to be able to rent "my" entire Irish Pub and fill it with my family, friends and neighbours. Shortly afterwards, I had to undergo major eye surgery - partly related to my age.
What am I going to do when I turn 60? What will my life look like then?
Where will I be, job-wise, living-wise, relationship-wise? Actually, I do not expect either my job nor my living arrangements to change, and especially not my relationship - as far as depends on me, O.K. is my "forever" man.
Of course nobody really knows what the future will bring.
Much like the rest of the world, Germany is undergoing rapid and radical changes that impact our daily lives. The company I work for could cease to exist or need to lay me off before I reach retirement age (currently 67 for me). My health could suffer, making me unable to keep a full time job or go for my beloved walks and hikes. O.K. could decide he's had enough of me. Political unrest and economy crisis could lead to dangerous circumstances beyond my control. Climate conditions could create problems in the area where I live.
The list is long and scary, but although I am realistic enough to know that all of this is possible, my general outlook is optimistic and hopeful where my personal future is concerned.
I'll stick to doing what is good for me for as long as I can. This sounds egoistical, but it makes sense - I can't be of any use to anyone, be it in my family, circle of friends or at work, when I'm not well and my life is off balanced.
Therefore, here's to turning 60 in three years, three months and three days!
As I know from personal experience, as you also do, one never knows what is around the corner. All one can do is live each day as it comes. My mother never revealed her age to anybody. She had strong views on this which I respected. It was not a vanity thing, it was because of the way people perceive you related to age which was more to the fore in her generation. I did not find out her age until she was in hospital late in life and I read the date of birth on her hospital wrist tab. I found it hard to talk about being 70 but now I have come to terms with it and see it as just a number and I don't dwell on it. People care little about age these days and that is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI had my 60th birthday this year and feel stronger and more optimistic than I have done for years. My 50's were spent dealing with the menopause and the deaths of my parents and parents-in-law. It was exhausting - physically and mentally.
ReplyDeleteMy life is limited in a lot of ways because I am the primary carer for my disabled son, but that is also something which keeps me feeling young. I am still parenting full-time, just like I was in my 30's. I just hope my brain can keep convincing my body that I am still in my 30's for as long as possible!