It's coming: In just about a week, I'll celebrate another birthday. It won't have the same festive hoopla that surrounded last year's birthday; then, I was 40 -- a milestone. Now, I'm just in my 40s.
Doesn't have quite the same ring to it, eh?
Still, I'll welcome this birthday and all the others I'm lucky enough to have. See, I don't have any female role models for healthy aging in my family (though I am fortunate enough to know quite a few kick-ass older ladies who I'd love to emulate). Neither my grandmother nor my mother lived to retirement age...and that's a very sobering thought.
When I was younger -- especially in my 20s, when I was teaching fitness classes at clubs across the state -- working out was all about cosmetic concerns. My body back then was an admirable reflection of the time I put into it. But I never quite appreciated it; there was always some part to work on or flaw to fix.
Now, working out and eating right are about so much more. And like many friends my age, I feel better about myself now than I ever did in my 20s. Life and experience gives you a certain perspective; as my mom often told me, "Youth is wasted on the young." I never quite got that until relatively recently.
But aging also gives you the wisdom to know that not everything is in our control. Taking care of your body goes a long way toward keeping you healthy, but disease doesn't always care. One of my favorite writers, Anne Lamott, spoke about body image over at Beliefnet recently. Whatever your beliefs, I think we can all appreciate the poignancy in Lamott's story about worrying about the size of her thighs as her best friend was dying -- and the wisdom in her friend's admonition that she "just didn't have that kind of time."
So bring on the birthdays. If I'm lucky enough, I'll be the first feisty old lady in the family.
That's so sad about your mum and grandmother- it's good that you're working so actively to protect your own health.
And I agree that youth is often wasted on the young. Most of the time we don't appreciate how good we've got things until something goes wrong.
Posted by: Sagan | 02/18/2009 at 09:04 AM
Happy birthday!!!!!
I'm turning 40 in July. The only thing that's freaking me out about it is how quickly time goes by. It seems like yesterday that I was 25 and starting grad school. Would I WANT to be 25 again? Heck no, lol!
Bit if the last 15 years have gone by so quickly, how fast will the next 15 go? Will our kids be off to college before we know it? Or already graduated and starting their own independent lives? It makes me not want to miss a minute of their childhood.
Posted by: Alyssa | 02/18/2009 at 10:49 AM
we are so alike.
(LOVE ANNE LAMOTT AS WELL)
Posted by: Miz | 02/20/2009 at 02:54 AM
Thanks, Sagan, for the kind words. Alyssa, 40 rocks! But I hear what you're saying about the kids -- they're a great reminder of just how quickly time does pass. Miz, you know it -- we're definitely kindred spirits in spreading the message of healthy self-image.
Posted by: Dara Chadwick | 02/20/2009 at 08:11 AM