I’m not sure I understand our cultural obsession with youth. Sure, there are some advantages to being young, but I think it’s a pretty even tradeoff getting to be a bit older, losing a bit of firmness while gaining experience, wisdom and confidence. About 9 months back, I met a girl who was on the verge of turning 30 and freaking out about it. She was drinking and partying every night like it would be her last; it got me a bit worried (I was 29 at the time), but when it came my time, I didn’t freak out. It was, more or less, just another day, but it did get me thinking a bit. There were times when I never thought I’d live to 30; it seemed so ancient, but I still feel young.
I guess I am lucky in a sense because I always hated being a kid; adults would always condescend to me and I never had much in the way of self-determination (which frustrated me to no end). Turning 18 and being able to make all my own decisions (except alcohol, of course) was a big relief, but I didn’t have enough experience or confidence to really handle things yet. Every year since then has gotten better and better. Even though I know my body is breaking down – a few more wrinkles, a lot more gray hair. I just appreciate so much more of life and I make much better and more informed decisions.
Although my lifestyle isn’t always as health-oriented as I’d like it to be, compared to the average American, I’m pretty darn healthy. Staying out of the sun and not smoking should keep my skin in good shape (people already sometimes think I’m younger than my little sister, who only looks her age [25]); I’ve been coloring my hair since I was 17, so the grays don’t matter much; I eat pretty well (lots of veggies, not too much processed foods) and I like my exercise. So age alone isn’t going to rampage my body the way it does for some people.
Aside from the aging itself (losing youthful appearance/energy can be tough), the other thing is of course the big D, that no one likes to talk about. I’m not particularly looking forward to dying; however, I strongly feel that death is precisely what makes life worth living. And it is a part of life, so to some extent, we must accept it. And know that it could happen any time (not just when we hit some high number of years). So I try to work with what I’ve got, managing the aches and pains and loving the joys.
Besides, as I said recently to my friend Uschka (of us fabulous ones aging), what little we lose in natural beauty, we more than make up for in makeup and costuming skills (and budgets/wardrobes). 😉
