For some reason that hit such a chord with me. So much of the time I forget to take in all the wonders of now. I have a three-year-old and one on the way, and I always have to kick myself to just enjoy and take it all in. That's not to say sometimes I don't need to go into the bathroom just to steal a quiet minute, but even the craziness of life is the color and the magic. I'm sure you've heard some more mature adults talk about how they miss all the noise and chaos and that the quiet can be lonely.
A very wise man in his mid 60s told me about going to a gathering with people his same age recently. They were all talking about "X being the time of their lives." "When I was in my 20s, 30s, high school, those were the days." Then someone turned to him and said "Hey, what about you? When was the best time of your life?" to which he replied, "Now, and if it's not, someone kill me." There is the essence. Now!
How about us girls? In our teens we look under a microscope at our flaws. Our skin, hair, butts. We dread getting our periods, and oh yeah, our breasts never seem to grow fast enough. Then we move into our 20s and struggle to figure out how to stay looking like we did in our teens. We hit our 30s and zone in on our weight and wrinkles. "If my skin just looked like it did when I was in my early 20s...." In our 40s we begin to fantasize about smooth taut skin and latch onto anything that claims to fight gravity. In our 50s we're upset because we think it's over for us; we actually dream of the day we had our periods and dread that young boys call us "ma'am." In our 60s we just wish we could move around the way we did in our 50s - "oh, my bones hurt." In our 70s we start to just look back...and so on and so on and sp what?
Hey, it's about being all that you are at whatever phase of life you're living. Hot is hot. You don't have to have a number to define you or make you dynamic and alive. Perfectly smooth skin doesn't make you happy, and if it did, what do you call all those hormonal teenagers running around? Of course I look back upon the past with fondness - after all, it's what brought me to the place I'm standing. However, I don't want to go back there, I want to focus on what I'm trying to create now.
Okay, so now is my time to get superficial with you. Our bodies. Why are we torturing ourselves about our bodies? How about taking in where you are, and if you want to make some improvements (lose some weight, take up a new exercise class, start getting outside more often, eat better, change your hair) then go for it. Yes, I do believe you can get better with age, feel better, look better, but it's not going to happen by wishing you were at another time in your life. It's only going to happen by embracing where you are now and being the best you can be. Right now.
I know a 74-year-old man who has the eyes and smile of a kid. He is healthy, loves his family, has fun, takes care of himself - and he lives with the living. That's what I want. I want to be whatever age I am, but maintain my youthful spirit and attitude and have some fun. So here is to all the beautiful males and females from 0 to 100 - may we all be having the time of our lives.
