"Girl, We Getting' Old!"

"Girl, we ain't old!  Stop saying that!"  That's what my friend of 30 years tells me every single solitary time I remind her that indeed, we are growing old.  That conversation usually follows some long night of partying or dranking.  Like your girl Beyonce said, "I been drankin'!  I been drankin'!"  *hiccup*  And baby, we are feeing it the next day!  Eyes blood shot red with that puffiness surrounding them that just won't go away like it used to.  Where are my damn shades?!?  Knees aching and hips so sore from attempts to twerk and drop it that you're popping Alleve pills left and right.  Voice scratchy leaving you sounding like a damn man the next morning.  And right when you think you are ready to crawl out of bed and get your day started you shake your head and think to yourself, "Girl, you too damn old for this!"

Let the record show, I like to turn up (will we EVER retire that phrase) as much as the next 40 plus woman.  But!  The more I turn up these days, the more I am reminded my turn up knob has to be adjusted to accommodate the age factor.  I get these subtle reminders here and there that I am growing older, too.  Tell me this hasn't happened to you:  You are just about to share your next thought with someone and it just straight evaporates from your mind.  Like a little wispy cloud blown away by a cool summer's breeze.  WHAT IN THE ENTIRE HELL?!?  Add that to the natural decline of your physical abilities, one can't help but wonder how this whole growing older thing is going to happen to us.  So now you think maybe instead of turning up to 10, you can have just as much fun at 7.

The good news is there is still plenty more life to live…fully…and I am excited for the next half of my life.  I want to do this aging thing with style, grace and without complaint.  Instead of life happening around me or to me, the goal is to be a more active participant in life and fully explore the miracle of being right her on this earth just one more day.  I want to...  

• Age gracefully and be completely washed over with that older, confident, sexy woman swag that just seeps from my pores

• Age gracefully and not be burdened with health issues that limit my freedom.  Nothing a little bit of yoga or Pilates and time in the steam room can't knock out

• Age gracefully and have learned a few lessons along the way to be able to share some of that wisdom with the younger folks

• Age gracefully and have a fully stocked kitchen complete with a perfect bottle of wine to accompany a delicious meal I can throw together when friends just happen to stop by for a spell

• Age gracefully and feel absolutely free with no self imposed limitations and a healthy disregard for others opinions and the impossible

The possibilities are endless for how to age gracefully and I imagine I will add to my list every now and then.  Increasing my quality of life while aging gracefully!  So, yeah…we gettin' old.  But we look damn good doing it, too!  Mmmkay?!?  TURN DOWN FOR WHAT? !?  *adjusting the knob to 7*