GROWING OLD

      Just yesterday I was 20. I was at Penn, getting a great education and also partying a lot of time with my wonderful friends (who are still very much a major part of my life today). Often, I would leave my dorm for one date, come back around 11p.m. and change my clothes, and then go out on the next date! I loved to dance, meet new people, and stay up all night. Well, not much has changed. I still have amazing friends (both from my college years and now from my current life), I still love to party and stay up all night, I still love to dance (but no one wants to go with me!), and most of all, I enjoy meeting new people.
       But the big difference is, it is years later and I am now 58! I have been married for over 35 years to the man of my dreams(STILL!). I have two married daughters and one grandson. I have downsized and moved out of my house into a condo. And I am closer to death than birth. It's a scary scenario. When I get together with friends, the discussion often turns to our ailments, our medications, our post menopausal symptoms, and what body parts could use refreshing. Some of us are doing our faces, others are replacing hips or knees, and still others are buying lots of new cosmetic dentistry. Boy, did my (dentist) dad retire too soon! He would have made a fortune if he was still practicing. And that leads me to another topic: people I know are retiring or are already retired. How can that be?
     This morning when my husband jumped back into bed, I told him he needed to have a dermatologist check something new on his face! That was so romantic! Is this what our lives have come to! He replied: "when did we get so old?" We used to be so young!
      Well, this is what I have decided. I am going to face everyday from here on in with a positive attitude. I am going to get excited about going to Hawaii and not moan about the long plane ride which could cause blood clots if I don't get up enough and walk around! I am going to crawl around on the floor with my grandson and pretend I, too, am a toddler full of curiosity and wonder. I will not be a jaded cranky old lady. EVER. I will get more apps for my I phone! I will no longer talk about my ailments, cholesterol, medications and heartburn. And I WILL dance my ass off, just as soon as I get that new hip! And for all of you that don't know it yet, that is a lot sooner than you think.