saggy skin...

So I can't remember my first kiss. Well, actually, my fake first real kiss was playing spin the bottle with a group of friends when I was 13 and the guy who had the bottle land on him and turned to me to kiss me stuck his tongue in my mouth and I was so startled that I slugged him in a flight or fight instinct. But I am pretty sure that doesn't count. My first REAL kiss obviously was not very memorable which is pretty sad.

BUT, what I DO remember clearly and unfortunately way to often, is the first time I saw my skin sag and I knew age was working it's magic on my body.

I was the ripe old age of 38. I had just shoved three of my kids into my minivan to go pick up the fourth one from preschool. It was a balmy beautiful California afternoon. As most Moms do, I used the drive time as a form of meditation and reflection as the kids were all strapped in and captive and where unable to create havoc due to that restraint so I had a few minutes to myself to relax. I rolled the window down and stuck my arm out to catch the warm wind on my arm and enjoy the feeling of freedom albeit with only a small part of my body.  That's when it happened.  As the wind caressed my arm as the car cruised at 60 MPH, I glanced at my forearm and I saw the skin on my arm RIPPLING!!! WHAT??? I looked harder, and sure enough the skin from my elbow to my wrist was dancing around on it's own. I was so taken aback that I kept my arm out of the window the whole drive just to make certain that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. But nope. I realized right then and there that I was on the down side of youth and it made me sad but it also made me a little peaceful. I knew that the skin flapping in the wind released me a little of the pressure trying so hard to be physically perfect as our culture dictates and I needed to accept that premise.

Ohhhh, the beauty of the ignorance of youth! If I had ANY idea 22 years ago that TODAY I only have to reach for a coffee cup and I see the crepiness on my arm and that merely lifting my arm to point at something in a leisurely manner allows my skin to flap and sag I would have appreciated that it took 60 MPH in a car to cause that same effect!

Turning 60 has definite pluses  and minuses which we will talk about later, but one of the pluses of age is the realization that the picture we take today and say to ourselves, "Geez I look old!"  is the same picture we will stare at 10 years from now and say "Geez I looked so young!"

Enjoy it ALL.......