Good Morning!  It’s gonna be a dreary, possibly rainy day.  I was supposed to mow the lawn for my friend.  Might not happen.  But I’ll just do it tomorrow then…….  Gotta love flexibility.  I don’t take it for granted, I assure you.  It is part of my daily gratitudes.  “Thank you Lord, that I don’t have to ‘work’ a traditional job, so I can do the ‘job of the day’ that you assign me!”  And that --- is why it’s a ‘good morning’ despite the impending rain. 

Anyway – I wanted to write about a little quote I read this morning:  “Don’t regret growing older.  It is a privilege denied to many.”  I gotta say  I’m not crazy about the wrinkles, nor the slowed metabolism, nor the fatigue, nor … this is going the wrong way…   I AM crazy about the freedom.  The freedom to Do what I want to do, no matter how crazy it is, and people accept it because “She’s old… they do weird things at that age.”   You get more respect…  for the most part.  I kind of dislike being called  dear, or sweetie, or honey by strangers because it seems disrespectful.  I am not THEIR dear, or sweetie, or honey – so when they do it, it makes me feel old.  I don’t mind BEING old.  But I don’t feel old inside, so I don’t want to be reminded of it.  Does that make sense?   

We were playing a game at my daughter’s house.  Forget which game, but you were asked a question and the other players had to guess which answer you wrote down.  My question was something like, what one thing in your life would you be happier without?  I forget what the choices were, but one was “mirrors.”  It took me 10 seconds to answer that and took each of them 10 seconds to guess my answer correctly.  One of them said, “I see you change your attitude when you see your reflection in the window of the car, you won’t sit behind the driver in a car because you don’t want to see yourself in the rear view mirror.  You always seem so happy and carefree – until you see your reflection.”  Wow.  I didn’t know I was so transparent.  I really try to not be that way.  I know how blessed I am to look this way, and not worse. I see people with tumors that keep re-growing, and I know I am so blessed I don’t have that.  I see people who have been in a fire, or a bad car accident, or mutilated by a stranger, and I am so glad I don’t have those issues.   I AM better about it.  Really I am, but I’m not “there” yet.  After all, it isn’t about how you Look, it’s about how you Act.   I feel guilty for feeling this way… it seems so petty and ungrateful…………  Enough of this.  Must be the gloomy weather taking over me.  Enough I say.  It IS a good day, and I am beautiful…….  So there! 

Where did that come from?  This started out as a means to tell you to embrace your age.  Be grateful for being old, because some don’t get that privilege.  I AM grateful.  I think I am more open minded, because I’ve felt the gamut of emotions over the years, so I can be more understanding of other’s emotions.  I have felt like behaving differently than how I did behave, but was too reserved to ‘be me.’ So I Love it when people do their ‘own thing’ as long as it isn’t truly hurting anyone.  Saw a teen on a skateboard with a “rooster comb, dyed green” on his head yesterday and he looked so care-free…. I would NEVER have been so bold.  I respect that… but glad I don’t have to look at it every day. (>‿◠)  

 I just think I am less judgmental, and  more flexible in my thinking, and enjoy each day a little fuller, because it might be one of my last.  Course that has ALWAYS been true, but I feel it more as I age.   Well, I best wrap this up.  Just rambling more than usual today --- Thank you for joining me. 

Love this Poem:  I've loved it since I first saw it as a teen.  I now know that I didn't have to wait to be "old" to "wear purple and red."  But I guess I had to get "old" to really Realize it!  Wasted my youth being who I thought everyone else wanted me to be.  Nonsense.  Be YOU --- And do it NOW!!! 

Warning

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Jenny Joseph