How do you feel about getting older???

and tears for no apparent reason! Then there's the hot & cold flashes and the itchy skin!!!!!

Sounds like my wife started years ago.

Wake up in a puddle of sweat, get up and stand in front of a fan. Glad that episode is over......

I'm almost always cold (lack of fat on my old bones) so the hot flash's were welcome!! LOL

Night sweats were just the worst. Jack said it was like having a heater on his back all night long. So glad that's over.

Pirl, I'm like you - cheese is my favorite food, too! And, like you, I 'inherited' it from my dad, and eat it just about every day. I always say I'd have made a great Heidi - she just ate bread and cheese with her grampa every day way up high in the mountains!

Sounds good to me!

Oh Boy.........this thread hit home! I just had my Big Six-OH and am feeling pretty good about it. It's nice to have the hot flashes behind me, but I still have to have the window open and a fan on in the deep of winter. MY DH goes to bed with fleece outer-wear on to this day! Perhaps Snowbirding will help that for him!

Victor - you need to start building lots of points now in preparation for the Big M. They'll come in handy!

Maria - Check out www.macular.org. I think you will find a lot of great info there. Yellow veggies and dark greens such as collards are very helpful in postponing some of the progression....tomatoes too.

Pixie - liked the poem and all of your thoughts on this neat thread. Also think you were an adorable baby and an even lovelier lady!

Pirl and Candyce - I can so relate to everything you said too. Candyce - your zest for all things in your world was refreshing when you visited me. I'd say you've come out!!

Heather and Kareoke - I welcome you both also....!

My concept of age may have been influenced by my father being in his 50's when my two sisters and I were born. My parents were 18 years apart in age. My Dad was a young older father, and I frankly love the liberation that age gives you. I am also really happy that I decided to take early retirement, even though I loved my job. Time to be and do is just wonderful. This first transition year has been extremely busy attacking the postponed projects, but it has had some balance that I didn't have working so hard.

My son just turned 37 and it is so great to spend time with him and to see that he now really listens and asks my opinion. I have made many mistakes in my life and have endured a few tragedies, but I would not change things. I met my terrific second husband when I was 40 and have felt blessed every day since. Life is all about choices and attitude, and I have gratitude that my life is full by my own standards and I am comfortable with my place in the world. I am not unreasonable with my expectations of myself or others, and when I screw up, I try to shake it off and start a new day. I also try to cut others a lot of slack if I haven't walked in their shoes. Maybe it's age that allows perspective and light to settle over the always imperfect body and soul. Voila - contentment ....most of the time. :)

I agree, DB. Age allows a whole new perspective to come to the fore. And thanks for the compliment. You caught me on a 'good day'! LOL! Not really, as I like to think I am that way most of the time.

Clenched musculature causes a lot of headaches. Don't like headaches!!

DB, thanks you for the compliment and your words and sentiments are lovely!

Well all of you are talking about menopause and loosing weight.. Guess I'm a bit behind ya'll in my mid-30s.. But I've most of the symptoms and gaining weight.. LOL.. Only difference is I got morning sickness instead of hot flashes.. Not sure I'd want either one.. Ugh.. I was puking all morning here.. Not sure the sound of hot flashes all night would be any better.. LOL.. Wish there was a way for the men (DH everywhere) to experience what we go through.. They think they have it tough.. Think we need some sympathy.. LOL..

Lcosden, my DD is expecting in Jan. she know's how you feel. So do i....5 X over!! You have my sympathy my Dear!!!!!!!

lcosden I hope your morning sickness doesn't last too long and you are correct we do have to go through all the nasty stuff it seems.
I don't know about this get through menopause and lose weight business though, I have never put on this much poundage in my life. When does the losing part happen?

Hope you feel better soon, lcos. My wife was lucky not to have a real problem with nausea. A little, but never puking. And only for about two months. As for the hubbies going through it, I haven't met too many moms to be who don't make sure their husbands are well aware of everything they're going through!!

My DH shared my morning sickness with me.....he threw up all the way to work everyday I did!! LOL

u m m m m m....... I have been very busy the past two weeks and I haven't had an opportunity to read this entire thread, but, from a sociological perspective, Peter Berger argues that most of what we consider reality is a social construction; this includes aging. So, I have socially constructed my age as 37. My socially constructed age has nothing to do with the fact that I celebrated my 30 wedding anniversary this year. :-)

On one episode of one of my all-time favorite shows - the Odd Couple - Felix says he had all Gloria's symptoms, including the morning sickness and cravings!

Michaela - I'll try to remember the social construct deal when I'm at death's door!

Michaela - I like the social construct idea.......Maybe I'll pick an age I like, but I think there could be many possibilities including 60. LOL But....I honestly don't feel anywhere near 60, and that may be because I worked with so many young professionals who were my son's age, and they became good friends and kept me thinking young. I don't think any of us who are older feel that we are old though. One of my close friends here just had her 98th birthday this week, and she is in every important way my contemporary. So, I think age really is mostly in the mind until that point when the quality of life slips too far away.

I'd take my current mind with my 25 year old joints.

Thank you everyone.. LOL.. I know DH has mentioned that he feels crappy whenever I feel crappy but he hasn't thrown up yet.. He's always said that he wish he could take the symptoms away for me when I've been sick in the past. But this time, he told me that I can keep the morning sickness.. Guess the nausea was enough for him.. LOL..

You're into joints, Victor???

At 25 I was.

oh the memories, wake up, throw up, brush my teeth and go to work......every day, all 9 months.
But now I have the cutest, smartest, most caring 21 year old son!

Yeah, debilu - it's sooooo worth it all! But you don't really think so when you are on the floor for the 5th time in one day....with the lady's room right inside the teacher's lounge!! Oh what horrible, embarrassing memories!

Here is another interesting thing about aging - it's about how we subjectively experience time. Basically, we experience the time of childhood to 21 years of age as feeling like the same amount of time from 21 to death. For most people it feels like the same amount of time has past - even though they know that decades have past since they were 21.

I also believe that who you interact with affects your responses to age. Obviously, those afflicted with certain problems (like aching backs and joints) may feel physically older - but their sense of self can age (apparently) separately from the physical experience. They can still think young but with creaks and groans.

So far, I have been extraordinarily lucky . . . no aching bones yet.

yeah, yesterday it was spring

No kidding . . . . I keep thinking it should be around June 6th lol

Keep those glucosamine coming, Michaela!!! LOL

thanks for posting :))
pamsue

What's the weather like out there in Oregon, Pamsue???

Three hours younger.

Victor, you are so funny as in the one you just posted... and so clever as in your SA responses...and so honest as in about children... and so caring as in about one of us not feeling the way we want to.

Ladies, I still weigh the same I did 40 years ago but I do not look like that anymore, everything sems to have gone down south, lol
brain is not as swift as it used to be, always forget what I was looking for, like going to the fridge and thnking , now what did I want out of here? lol Had no problems with MP nor ever, not even once, did I suffer from any morning illnes always felt so sorry for those that suffered with that.

Thank you Maria!! (You left out good-looking, but you haven't seen me yet - hee hee.) Don't feel bad about forgetting. I am not lying when I say that I do that VERY often. I find myself actually retracing my steps to jog my memory!

Oh Celeste that is so precious... I told my doctor yesterday that finally I like myself and I am actually comfortable on my onw skin... yep! the skin is loose!!!

I love being 45! I would not change... I love my gray hair... I earned each one of them!!
the one thing I really love about it is that I am FREE... I feel FREE! free to sing out loud and try new things...and I do eat desset before the meal!!!!

YW Victor,, good night and sweet dreams for all of you

Being Old is a state of mind, my mind does not know that the body is 47. I still climb trees (for apples 2 days ago) I go hiking, water boarding every year since I turned 40 except this year. DH couldn't go out in the boat this year so no water sking or boarding for me as I felt guilty cause he couldn't.
When ever I go to the coast and it has a long beach....I run. It's a feeling of freedom I used to get when I ran track in HS and I can capture a moment of that feeling now at 47. It feels good! Of course my lungs burn, my side aches and my legs cramp in protest! But thats the 47 yr. old body that the mind is ignoring.
I can still do a cartwheel, roundoff, split and frontflip. The front flip is iffy....things don't fall into place as well as they used to so I only do it when DGD begs. I can still place both hands flat on the ground with both legs locked straight, and can grab my foot and extend my leg out straight in a ballet pose.
These are things I worried about while I was pregnant. Getting out of shape and not being limber anymore. Doctor told me to continue my stretching on a regular basis and i'd be able to do right up to the age of 50. She was right....well 47 so far!
Those are some of my secrets....what are some of yours????

At 38 I can still brush all my own teeth *lol*

Very impressive Celeste! If things don't work out with our spouses...... Hee hee.

Really impressed with the front flip. I'm picturing you cartwheeling, flipping and splitting your way around the garden as you dead head and take photos.

Victor....spouse. No plural there!!! One is enough!!

PrimroseSue, I am one of those who had my child at 20. there are pluses and minuses, believe me. You are so stupid when you are 20 (please don't take this the wrong way...any young moms out there. I just mean that you have so little experience with life.) I was a grandma at 39 and it was really nice to have the energy to enjoy the grandkids...that was a benefit. But I felt then that I would have made a better mom at that age. Much more patient and wiser.

My genes all come from Dad's side of the family, I think. My mom was like Pixie...could never gain weight until after menopause, then lost it again when she got older. I'm one of the plump couch potato types...always reading when the other kids were playing outside. As a teenager I worked very hard at staying slim (well, I was never 'slim', but I looked pretty darn good). Ate very little and exercised very hard. Then at 32 I lost my thyroid to thyroid cancer. Seems like every ailment I've ever had is one that makes you gain weight (sigh~) Oh well, you take what life hands you :0)