Since most of us are moms, we are of a certain age—an age where we morph into what our parents used to say and do to us when we were younger. Do you find yourself saying something to your kids, and then you literally fall off your chair because you hear your parent’s voice coming out of your mouth? Yes? No? Maybe it is just me.
As I get older, I am less in tune with my age as a number and more in tune with my age as a presence.
When I remember how old I am, I have to do quick math in my head. I have to figure out or remember my age. Isn’t that strange? Shouldn’t you remember your age? Conceivably, yes.
You remember the year you were born. You remember highlights such as your kindergarten first crush, your best friend from grammar school, your first kiss, your “drama-filled” high school years, college, graduations, and whatever memorable moments you can associate with your age.
I find that now, especially over the past 8-9 years, I have to literally think for a minute about my age, except for when my seven-year-old daughter tells me how old I am. She loves telling me I am the same age as her second grade teacher. She is semi-obsessed with telling me and my husband how old we are.
When the number comes out of her mouth, it feels a bit weird; like, I feel like I don’t look like that. When I see people I have grown up with who are the same age as me and compare how we look, I think, “Do I look like that?” I don’t feel that I look like my 40-something self. I pride myself on the fact that I look younger than my age.
But, as a result, I forget how old I am. For a minute. Unless my daughter is there to remind me.
Why is it that we don’t realize how old we are? Maybe it is the company we keep? Maybe it’s the fact that we are running around being everything to everyone – Mom, Wife, Daughter, Employee, Chauffeur, Homekeeper, Business Owner, and more. Maybe we don’t have time to sit down and think about our age, and we have to think about it for a second or two.
I find that it is okay that I have to think about my age. It means I don’t have time to sit around and wonder what to do next. My mind and body are constantly moving. There is no time to dwell on what could have been ten or twenty years ago. It’s time to make things happen now and move forward. It means I am focused more on the ‘now’ than the ‘how long.’
Sometimes, friends and I will comment about how our bodies are not acting like they did in our 20s. And for the most part, in my observation, this is true.
But I also think that my body, because of its age, can do so many amazing things now that I would not have even attempted when I was in my 20s.
A prime example is my fitness. I am much heavier now than I was in my 20s, but my body is much stronger! Age, in this instance, is definitely only a number.
I lift heavy weights, have developed biceps, and am ‘growing’ triceps. My legs have benefited tremendously from squats with weights, increased inclines on various cardio machines, and especially spin class. Because of my mindset, I would have never been able to do the workouts I am doing now in my 20s.
