Things Begin To Fall Apart

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I would like to know where it says in the book of aging, what falls apart...and when. I don't like to be blindsided by these things.

For someone who has been fairly healthy her whole life, never spent a day in the hospital aside from giving birth, things have kind of been going south since I turned 40, a mere 2 years ago.

My latest "issue" is a pulled muscle in my back. I have no earthly idea how I managed this. I really don't. And yet here I am, in pain. Unable to use my left arm and shoulder. This stinks. Do you know  how hard it is to pull a shirt or dress over one's head when said person can not lift an arm? I had to swallow my pride and have my husband help me get out of my church dress yesterday. I got it half way off and realized I was stuck. Wriggling out of the dress caused shooting pains in my back. So, here I was standing in our walk in closet, bent over with a dress hanging off my shoulders and head. Where is the dignity in this? I gave up and said, " Um....sweetheart....could you come here? I need help." Bless  my husband's heart. He didn't laugh. (Which I know he probably would have liked to do) His only question was, "Is there a zipper or buttons on this dress?" My muffled reply was, "NO. Just pull it over my head!" The whole time I'm thinking to myself, "Who was the dumb bunny that decided on this dress this morning, knowing that I couldn't lift my arm very well?" Duh. Sometimes I wonder about myself.

Today I am taking it easy...and making sure to wear something with buttons.

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Tick, Tick...Tock

The ticking I am starting to hear, is me... aging. Ugh. Make that a double ugh.  Several months ago I noticed a very faint, barely visible to the naked eye, brown spot on my left hand. Is that dirt? Do I have a new freckle? Upon closer (microscopic) inspection, I came to the conclusion that it was indeed an age spot. How fair is that...I'm just 41 (oh, okay...next month I'll be 42)...BUT STILL!

To make things even worse I noticed gray hair. Now in all fairness those gray hairs have probably been there for awhile, I just had them cleverly disguised as blond. I've been too tired lately to bother with the dying of my hair. When did those gray hairs pop up? I blame it on my kids. It's easier that way. Anyway, that is my story and I'm sticking to it.

I was talking to my husband last evening. I asked him where our young bodies went? When we were both a lot more slender and in shape. I for one think my young body ran off somewhere. I need to track it down. I prefer the one I had at 21. Hmmmm.....where could it be? I'm looking for the one that defied gravity, the one where all my clothes fit  me perfectly. Yeah, that one. Sigh.

Over the past month I've noticed some brown splotches on my face. Great. So, I did what any self respecting woman would do. I googled it. This is what I found.

These dark patches on the skin are called solar lentigenes, hyperpigmentation, or less formally, sun spots. These discolorations are not cancerous and don't cause negative effects on your skin health. If you neglect sunscreen or have neglected sunscreen in the past, chances are you have a few of these sun spots on your face, neck and hands.

So, the tanning I used to do as a young(er) person has come back to bite me in the ....FACE. Aggggghhhhhhh! That stinks.

There is one positive note to all this aging. I have fairly smooth and wrinkle free skin. I remember having oily skin as a teen. My dermatologist told me one day (not then of course) I would appreciate having this skin type. The oils in my skin would keep my skin soft and smooth and I wouldn't wrinkle as early. So far, so good. The doctor seems to know what he was talking about. So, even though I'm splotchy and "fluffy" (doesn't that sound so much better) and graying....I still am not wrinkly. I realize that it is only a matter of time.  I hear the tick..tick..tock. Stupid clock.

Finally, I will end today's blog by saying that I saw Raquel Welch on FOX news last week. She was promoting a new book. The woman is 69 years old and she is still drop dead gorgeous. Whatever she is using, I want some! I'm not kidding.