Today is my 63rd birthday and I'm really happy about that. I know I am getting older, as my creaky knees often remind me, but I would not turn back time even if I could. I love being retired from paid work and having time to pursue all kinds of projects, using my head, heart and hands. I am just making a new start as Granny Gil to Noah and baby Hope and looking forward to the future with excitement and anticipation. I have so many blessings to count and I try to remember to do that every day.
I wonder though when I will begin to feel old. I am not at all worried about my looks - partly because in my eyes that has always been a lost cause! I do enjoy clothes and what I wear certainly affects my mood. I know that if I am happy with the way I look then I look better. I like jewellery, some of which I make myself, I always wear eyeshadow and I am increasingly drawn to colour. I find some of the outfits worn by the mature women on this blog inspirational.
Does this mean that my Quaker simplicity rating is lower than it should be? I'm not sure about that. In the past few years I have tried to cut down on the number of new clothes that I buy and to combine what I already have in different ways. When I do buy something I want it to have several uses. I am recycling more, looking at charity shops more and making more. For me simplicity has more to do with not giving too much time over to worrying about what to wear than with a particular style of dress. I do know that I am not trying to dress as an old person should!
Ageing is about both the inward and the outward and I am trying to explore all aspectsof the stage of life I find myself in.
Isn't that blog fab!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't worry too much about your simplicity rating, Gil. I don't think either of us is likely to go out spending thousands on designer frippery, or changing our wardrobe to fit the latest fashions. You keep going with your own style!