Community Chat

[Trailrun23]

I am 71 and I only have a few gray hairs.I would never define myself by my age. I am more than a number and I am still me...but with more experience, wrinkles, and moving a little slower. If you decide you are old, you start living and acting like it. Not me!

[Sooner]

---

@Trailrun23 wrote:

I am 71 and I only have a few gray hairs.I would never define myself by my age. I am more than a number and I am still me...but with more experience, wrinkles, and moving a little slower. If you decide you are old, you start living and acting like it. Not me!

---

@Trailrun23 I agree, and equate being old being me, only smarter, knowing more, and able to relax a little in my case.  When I no longer can live like I'm not old, I'll take that as it comes.  

To me we are who we are, no matter what the age or circumstances, you just get up and go on as best you can with what God gives you that day.   

[Buffalogal47]

@SharkE  That woman does not look 96. She doesn't even look 76. She looks lovely and her hair is beautiful. 

[Oznell]

@Buffalogal47 ,  I agree.  I think she is so vibrant and appealing.  

It's interesting that the discussion here has centered almost immediately on "to gray, or not to gray".   She didn't address her hair color in the video, but I'd love to hear her comments on it.

To me, it's entirely a personal decision.  Some people love the way gray hair fits with their overall coloring, and some do not.   It's what you like when you look in the mirror.  I think, in her case, she's stunning with gray hair, and would be stunning in other colors too.  I'm guessing she might have been a dramatic brunette, just by her dark brown eyes, maybe.

I was more interested in her day-to-day decisions, like wearing a smile, always getting dressed nicely, her minimal make-up choices, etc.  She has a lovely complexion, and to me looks luminous in her crisp white shirt.

She's also a puzzle and crossword puzzle fiend, for the mental exercise, which I definitely love.    

[Sooner]

@Oznell But many of use aren't vibrant or appealing in old age, but are blessed and if lucky, a blessing to someone else.  I don't equate beauty in old age to physical beauty because of the aunts I loved more than anything on earth.    But our culture values beauty, wealth and fame too much for so many old women to feel valued.  

I remember an Indian gentleman at a gathering admiring a ring my mother was wearing.  She held out her hand and said "Oh but on these old-age-spotted wrinkled hands it is a shame."

He took her hand and stroked it and said "Oh NO NO NO do not say that!  These are a mother's hands and they are the most beautiful hands in the world!  These hands have raised your children and fed them and cared for people you loved and planted flowers.  THESE are the beautiful hands."  

They hugged and she cried and I will never forget it.  My mother was a fashionista and how she looked was critical to her being.   She thought he couldn't possibly mean that, and I was thinking some cultures really feel that way.  .  . I hope. 

[Oznell]

It could be that we just look at things a bit differently, @Sooner ;  or express things differently.

To me, her vibrancy and charm are inner-generated-- and her video, as I said, deals with health, cognitive function, positive attitude, etc.--  but I don't see that as somehow in conflict with the fact that she's also interested in having a personal style.  Not on a quest to be what she was 30 or 40 years ago, just interested in pulling herself together nicely.  

In general,  I don't personally see anything wrong with that, just as I don't see anything wrong with someone who, for whatever reason-- not just age-- does not care about personal style.

To each her own.

[Trailrun23]

Have you seen the nonstop social media about "then things that make you look older" or "ten things women over 50 should never wear"etc. I am certain they are all written by twenty-somethings.

[LuvSoCal]

---

@Sooner wrote:

@Oznell But many of use aren't vibrant or appealing in old age, but are blessed and if lucky, a blessing to someone else.  I don't equate beauty in old age to physical beauty because of the aunts I loved more than anything on earth.    But our culture values beauty, wealth and fame too much for so many old women to feel valued.  

I remember an Indian gentleman at a gathering admiring a ring my mother was wearing.  She held out her hand and said "Oh but on these old-age-spotted wrinkled hands it is a shame."

He took her hand and stroked it and said "Oh NO NO NO do not say that!  These are a mother's hands and they are the most beautiful hands in the world!  These hands have raised your children and fed them and cared for people you loved and planted flowers.  THESE are the beautiful hands."  

They hugged and she cried and I will never forget it.  My mother was a fashionista and how she looked was critical to her being.   She thought he couldn't possibly mean that, and I was thinking some cultures really feel that way.  .  . I hope. 

---

@Sooner Many cultures value and appreciate their elders. Sadly, ours really doesn't. What a sweet story about your mom and the wise man from India.

[Judaline]

@Oznell You can post a link as long as it isn't a place that sells anything. Q frowns on that!