As a relatively new homeowner, I am trying to save as much money as possible. One habit I started when I got case of wanting to shop is looking for things that are free to download in multiple ways. It may be apps for my phone, a browser extension for my laptop, and tonight it was screen savers for my smart tv. On the long list of 800+ screensavers, one is a bit dated, named “Celebrities That Died in 2019.” One of the pictures was of Luke Perry, and I thought, ‘Wow, I can’t believe he has been gone that long.’ It really started me thinking about a meme that came out a few days after he died that’s basically said If you are with a GenX girl, be extra sweet for the next few days. They are not okay. I remember realizing at that point how true that was. Without realizing it, we all had some project or story about Luke Perry that made us all swoon. But he was not the first heartthrob we have lost. We lost River Phoneix, Jonathan Brandis, and Corey Haim, just to name a few. So, what is the difference with Luke Perry? And then it hit me tonight. It is because Luke is the first famous person of our generation that has died from what most of us think as a primarily “Old Person” ailment. This is no longer something we can joke about at our age. This isn’t a “Haha, you got an AARP card” funny thing about getting old or over-the-hill parties. This is something that just happened naturally in his body. This wasn’t a disease. This was a stroke, and no news organizations are talking about how it is possible someone so young could have a stroke. It was more of having a fatal stroke at his age, which is not common, but it does happen. And it was at this moment we all saw our own mortality.

Growing old is a privilege denied to far too many. What is your benchmark for considering yourself old? As I am spitting distance from 50*, I have asked myself if I am about to be old and, if not, when I will be. I have decided not only am I aged, but I am also taking advantage of this new status. I will impart my wisdom to the young. I will wear comfortable clothes unless I must wear something fancy. I work a day job where I wear jeans and T-shirts. Bring on the knit pants if I ever have to dress business casual again. I am not saying I won’t take care of myself. I am not saying I won’t care about my appearance. I am saying I am no longer about wearing uncomfortable clothes to look good. I look good, and we all look good in nice clothes, but we look even better in comfortable clothes. If I could find a comfortable mumu, I would snatch it up in a heartbeat. That used to be my biggest fear was having to wear a mumu. No, I am like, what do I care? No one but my spouse will see me in it, and they have seen me in more hideous outfits than a nice soft mumu. I am scanning the internet to see if I can find any restaurants near our town where the senior discount starts at 50. Bring on the early bird specials. I have even picked out my retirement date. It seems like just yesterday; retirement seemed so weird to be saving for because it felt so far away. My mother and I use readers, but hers aren’t even half as strong as mine. I see how I have evolved from the youngest person in a workplace to the oldest. I talked to two people today that I pegged as 10 years older than me. O was 5 months younger, and the other was 3 years younger. I read of being purposefully blind about the wrinkles on my face; every time I look in the mirror, I look for them. I call them my lines of wisdom. I can’t control what my body does, so why fight it. I admire Jamie Lee Curtis so much because she insists on being natural and just aging as mother nature intends. She is just as beautiful as she has always been. She may not have her youth, but her confidence in being her true self is intoxicating. I look at actresses in Hollywood; honestly, I don’t care about gossip about them or their private lives. They are just people that showcase others’ work. I appreciate a job well done, but the writers fascinate me. But I digress……. Any woman who lives under Hollywood’s constant glare and chooses to let herself just age has my respect. I love the power it takes inside of you to stick to your beliefs enough to sacrifice so much just to let the power help others. So, thank you, Brooke Shields, Salma Hayek, Meryl Streep, Nia Long, Jodi Foster, Andie McDowell, Halle Berry, and so many others who did not take the easy road and dealt and still deal with the pressure and temptation to try to trick the aging process. No, I am not anti-plastic surgery for everyone. You want to get things done. Cool. You do you. Nothing wrong with that. It is a powerful tool for some. I love how we have the option as women choose to age gracefully or fight it like a heavyweight champion. Because that is what we are doing, GenX, we are aging.

*Please see blog from 3/26/23 “Oh no, The Big 5-0:Getting Comfortable with Aging”