Wow. Times have changed. I can’t decide whether this is good or bad. I do remember back when I was a little girl, there were “rules” about women needing to have short hair before “a certain age” and also what was appropriate to wear “at a certain age”. I am happy that those “rules” have been thrown out the window. And of course, due to medical advances, people are now living longer and healthier lives. The life expectancy for American women has gone up about 4 years since the early 1990s when “Golden Girls” was a hit show.
But at the same time, there is a lot of pressure these days for women to hold on to “eternal youth.” In the past 19 years, cosmetic procedures for women has increased 429 percent. (Cosmetic Surgery National Databank) And the high tech filters on our telephones are made to make us feel like how we really look is not pretty enough . . . at any age.
I’m still pondering all of this in my mind, as I enter into this second half of my life. It’s interesting to observe how society changes, when you live long enough to observe all of the changes. I like these quotes on the subject:
“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.” ~Sophia Loren
“Your 40s are good. Your 50s are great. Your 60s are fab. And 70 is f*@king awesome!” ~Helen Mirren
“The trouble is, when a number—your age—becomes your identity, you’ve given away your power to choose your future.” ~Richard J. Leider
“It annoys me when people say, ‘Even if you’re old, you can be young at heart!’ Hiding inside this well-meaning phrase is a deep cultural assumption that old is bad and young is good. What’s wrong with being old at heart, I’d like to know? Wouldn’t you like to be loved by people whose hearts have practiced loving for a long time?” ~Susan Moon
“I am appalled that the term we use to talk about aging is ‘anti.’ Aging is as natural as a baby’s softness and scent. Aging is human evolution in its pure form.”~ Jamie Lee Curtis
“Aging isn’t about getting old it’s about LIVING… Learning that you can age well, will actually help you to age better… let’s start celebrating and living an engaged life, and stop punishing ourselves for not looking a certain way, and instead holding ourselves accountable for actually taking care of ourselves inside first, knowing the results on the exterior will be a shining side effect.” ~ Cameron Diaz
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.