You’re never too old to get younger ~Mae West
Today I had two interesting experiences that were particularly relevant to my steadily quickening drive toward the Big 4-0 birthday. After attending a PTA meeting at one of my school sites and visiting some classrooms, I decided to stop by one of our local convenience stores for some caffeine refueling before visiting the next school on my agenda. After I had checked out, the clerk said, “Have a nice day, Miss.” This seemingly innocuous comment struck me because I realized, suddenly, that it had been a long time since anyone called me ‘miss’ instead of ‘ma’am.” My guess is that this transition took place slowly, so that I didn’t really notice that most people perceived me as older rather than younger these days.
Buoyed by this unexpected compliment (I just knew this suit looked good today!), I went about the rest of my business this morning feeling pretty good. I’d like to say my self-worth is not dependent on the average clerk’s perception of my age, but hey, I was happy.
And then, I went to the dentist. While cleaning my teeth, the hygenist said, “Now, you’ll want to be careful with your brushing. You’ve got some areas that we need to watch for receeding gums. But don’t worry too much, that’s just something that happens when you’re older.” In seconds I had gone from the cute young miss to the aging woman with receeding gums.
I’m still recovering.
My optometrist mentioned that as one ages their eyesight declines. But then he also pointed out that it’s better than the alternative (I took his meaning to be better to need a stronger eyeglass prescription than to be pushing daisies)