In Others’ Words: Coming to Grips with Age
@bethvogt
Did you know Jamie Lee Curtis, one of my favorite actresses, turned 60 last November 22?
And Barbie – yes, that Barbie, whose real name is Barbara Millicent Roberts – turns 60 in a few short months on March 9.
And then there’s me.
On May 5, I’ll be 60 years old. Sixty years old.
Can I just say I’ve wrestled with admitting my age to you all out loud on this blog for months???
I put away my Barbies a long time ago, along with any attempts to measure up to her. Pun intended.
That said, I do blame Jamie Lee Curtis for this post – specifically her October 2018 “Secrets to Confidence” article in Good Housekeeping magazine. In the article, she talked openly about turning 60 and her life philosophy: If not now, when?
Could I stare down my coming birthday with as much confidence as Jamie Lee Curtis … and not blink?
I don’t talk about my age because, well, I don’t want other people defining me by my age. Maybe it’s because I watched my mother struggle with the whole “I don’t want to get older” dilemma. Most women do, but my mother’s attempts to stay young tripped me up a bit. And even though I’ve already told my kiddos that I’m going to age – let Barbie do the plastic to fend off the passing of time, not me – I still struggle with the fact that I am, in fact, getting older.
I’ve always said I would never lie about my age. And I don’t. I do, however, just not talk about how old I am. If people want to assume I’m younger than the age on my Colorado driver’s license, that’s fine with me.
But the reality is I am going to be 60 in five months.
There. I said it again.
It was slightly less painful that time.
Whenever I consider my age – confront it and the wrinkles in the mirror – I always ask myself what year would I give up to be younger? The year I met my husband? A particular year in our marriage? The year one of our children was born? The year I survived a life-threatening illness? The two years we lived in Turkey? The eight years in Florida? Any of our years in Colorado?
No. I wouldn’t give up any of those years. Each one of those experiences, those times, are part of me. My victories. My failures. My lessons learned.
My memories.
I’ve also thought about how I want to handle this whole turning 60 thing. I’ve already told my husband no surprise birthday party – although that’s exactly what I did for him. But, as a friend pointed out, turning 60 for a man is not the same as turning 60 for a woman.
I could run full tilt into this birthday, with a false bravado I’m just not feeling.
Or I could be honest.
And if you know me at all, you know I value honesty.
So this is me, saying I’m going to be 60 in a few months – and also saying I’m not all that comfortable with that idea.
The truth is, I’ve never been all that comfortable in my own skin. I’ve always felt like other people do themselves better than I do me.
So maybe, maybe, the next few months will be about getting comfortable with where I am … and who I am … and celebrating life along the way.
In Your Words: What are you staring down in the coming year that makes you uncomfortable … makes you wonder if you’re up to the challenge?
You may have noticed a few changes to this blog. Like it published on Wednesday, not Tuesday or Thursday. And the post is a little longer than previous posts. All deliberate changes. With the new year, I’ll be blogging once a week on Wednesdays, and going deeper with my posts. I’m looking forward to our conversations.
Jamie Lee Curtis, Barbie ... and Me http://bit.ly/2R3C4iH #getting older #perspective
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'Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.' #quote by Mark Twain http://bit.ly/2R3C4iH #gettingolder
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