We've been running a column series to get more personal with our readers. We are now getting toward the end of our seventh year!
Since we're fifty (or close enough to it), we're talking about aging today.
We're always open to topic suggestions, so please don't hesitate to share those in the comments. We'd also love to know if you can relate to anything we've said or hear your own thoughts on the topic. So don't be shy. 😊 We look forward to getting to know you as much as we're letting you get to know us. You can find our previous columns here, in case you missed them.
Sara Steven:Lately, I’ve been watching Little House on the Prairie. Not the reboot on Netflix, but the old school TV show from the late seventies/early eighties. It’s a show I loved when I was a kid, and it’s become a bit of a comfort show for me when I have some downtime or need some downtime.
In season seven, episode twenty ("I Do, Again"), Caroline, the matriarch of the Ingalls family, discovers she’s going through menopause. She assumed she was pregnant, so the news that she isn’t pregnant and very well may never get pregnant again was devastating for her. She felt like her life was over and even said something comparable to that. She didn’t want to tell her husband the news. She didn’t want to face the reality of any of it.
It made me ponder over my own feelings of getting older, now that I’ve turned forty-eight this year. The changes I’m going through within my own body, new medications I never really thought about (or knew existed) in order to get through this phase in my life. It’s funny because I never knew what an estrogen patch was, but there are so many YouTube videos and articles out there about it. And the women who are applying the patches to their bodies are stunning, helpful, and seem to have no qualms about the patch.
They certainly don’t seem to be lamenting over this next phase in life. And not that there’s anything wrong with that. I think a lot of us have mixed emotions about becoming middle-aged and feel like Caroline. In some ways I feel just like I did a decade ago, but in other ways, I know I’m not the same. I think there is a lot of deep processing, emotionally, mentally, and physically, to be had when you know you’ve got one foot in the past, and one in the future. It was only yesterday my children were little, and now they’re twenty-one and soon-to-be sixteen. It doesn’t feel like that much time has gone by.
While I do miss them at those ages and stages, I also appreciate where they are now, and the relationship I have with my kids. They are stepping into their own special phases in life, just like I am. I think one of the reasons Caroline had a tough time was because she didn’t feel like she knew of anyone else going through it, like she was. But I have friends who are open and honest with me with what they’re experiencing. And I do the same for them. There is support. Camaraderie. And above all, I don’t feel like my life is ending. Some days are better than others. I can feel moody and sad. I know this is life-changing. But there can be good in having life changes, too.
When I was in my thirties, I used to help out at a yoga studio in exchange for free yoga. The owner of the studio was in her late forties, and I remember thinking, “I could do this. I would love to do something like this when I’m older.” I recently realized that I’m there, now. Which prompted me to work on getting my yoga certification, so I can instruct. Who knows, maybe I’ll run my own studio someday. I’m also training for a duathlon in October. I work part-time. I adopted three guinea pigs who take up a lot of my time. I take care of my household, and spend time with my husband and kids. I’ve changed a lot, but I’m still the same.
Towards the end of the Little House episode, after Caroline’s husband discovers the truth, she discovers that he loves her and supports her, so much so that they decide to re-marry one another and will re-marry every year moving forward. Which some might see as a little excessive, but I thought it was sweet. My plan is to continue to do the things I want to do in life, and find the joy in that, as best as I can, and lean on my support system when I need it, and be a support, too. So many of us are traversing through this period in our lives. It’s at times confusing, and difficult. I don’t have all the answers. But I know with support, we can all get through it.
Melissa Amster:I posted a couple months ago that I recently turned fifty. And this past weekend, my oldest child turned twenty-one. Time is just flying! Since Sara and I like talking about perimenopause symptoms and all that goes along with aging, this ended up becoming fair game for a topic. Don't worry, I'm not going to post about perimenopause.
This past weekend, I was looking at some photos from my past and came across ones where my parents were in their forties or fifties. It was strange because they looked older than I look at the same age. I'm not even saying it to be mean. I know that there are celebrity pictures showing actors who were in their fifties back in the 1980s, but they look like they could be in their seventies. I was so shocked about Alice from The Brady Bunch being in her late forties on the show.
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| Courtesy of Thunder Dungeon |
Anyway, I feel young at heart, and also embrace being fifty. Yeah, there are physical things that go along with aging, such as aches and pains and the need to wear glasses more often than I used to. Sleeping is definitely a challenge. Even so, I feel like it's easy to stay connected with my kids vs. how challenging I made it for my parents as a teenager. My daughter still wants to spend time with me and doesn't mind being seen with me in public. She was also thrilled when I wore a shirt that said "Awesome Like My Daughter." I won't claim to know or understand their music and slang (especially when I thought "HELP" meant there was an urgent situation instead of not being able to stop laughing about something). However, we can have long conversations and it's really nice!
I'm also doing things to make myself look and feel younger, like letting my hair grow instead of wearing it short like I used to, and focusing more on weight-loss and getting into better shape. I wear makeup more often than I used to, as well.
Overall, I can't complain about aging too much and every birthday is an affirmation of life. So instead, I'll leave you with some humorous images and memes and call it a day!
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| Courtesy of @the_80s_90s_guy |
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Courtesy of @nostalgiafreak
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| Courtesy of Happier Human |
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| Courtesy of 9GAG |
What are your thoughts on aging?
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