I went shoe shopping at lunch the other day. I am in need of new black pumps, as my mother is calling for her very-cool pair of Nine Wests back. And even though possession IS 9/10ths of the law… this weekend she successfully guilted me into returning them.
I find a cute pair… not as cute as the Nine Wests… but definitely doable. However, while hiking up my pant legs to check out how awesome these shoes will make my calves look, I noticed something peculiar. Something that wasn’t there the LAST time I checked out my calves beneath cruel retail lighting. There was a small purple vein, about an inch long, snaking it’s way across my calf muscle. The vein was faint and probably not noticeable to anyone but me… but it was NEW! And while gently running my finger over it I actually uttered aloud: “Hmmm… That’s new.”
Now, I have OTHER purple veins on my legs. Not many, but a couple that are remnants from an unfortunate horseback riding incident that took place when I was 19. But I know exactly what both of them look like and where they’re located. In other words, I have taken full account of these blemishes… and made my peace with them. But this one… THIS one, does not have an “unfortunate horseback riding incident” on which to lay the blame. THIS one, showed up unannounced and unwelcome.
I suppose that eventually, I’ll make peace with it as well. After all, what other choice do I have? I am not exactly one of the “Real Housewives of Carroll County” who has her plastic surgeon on speed dial and then disappears for a few days away at “The Spa” and has magically done away with any and all imperfections.
Given the fact that I am indeed, NOT one of these women… this newest dermatological development really got me thinking about some of the other “new” things that I have noticed recently…
- Last weekend, in a photo taken at a Pirates / Cubs game, I noticed that the skin around my eyes wasn’t nearly as taut as I remember it. It was softer and a little droopier and, well… let’s be honest… it was the beginning of Chick’s Feet (Crow’s Feet’s hideous, younger cousin). UGH.
- Another photo that was short-listed as a potential profile pic was swiftly rejected when I became aware of the fact that someone had maliciously drawn lines across my neck.
- LAST week… Feet tossed over the back of the couch, sporting a pair of boxer shorts… I was disturbed to find that when I moved my legs down from the back cushion… the skin did not initially want to go along. It protested by forming a bunch of teensy little wrinkles. Instead of snapping back like it used to… it reluctantly slid back into place… eventually.
- By 5:00 I no longer appear “rested” like I do first thing in the morning. Rather, I look as though I’ve contracted a healthy case of swine flu.
- The right side of my neck and shoulder now stiffen at the slightest hint of stress…
- AND I suffer from some type of unspeakable digestive disturbance if I eat anything after 10 pm.
The French philosopher Voltaire once said: “If we do not find anything pleasant, at least we shall find something new.”
How comforting.
I’ll try to remember that the next time I look in the mirror, squint my eyes to look more closely and say to myself: “Hmmm… That’s New.”
Woman In Thrisis 
I had to laugh out loud when I read this not in a deragatory sense, more of a laughing with you. If you read my post “Man in the Mirror” I hinted at the same kind of discoveries! “Not that there is anything wrong with that” 😉
Thanks JT 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed it! I will have to go check out “Man in the Mirror” for sure!
At 42, I find new things every day and am just as surprised as you are. Although it’s the one thing that is constant in our lives, we forget that we are perpetually aging. Denial. It’s a marvelous thing sometimes. The veins, the wrinkles, the creaks … and yeah, what’s up with the skin? That freaks me out because I immediately think of my mother. Regarding Voltaire, what’s wrong with finding something “new” AND “pleasant”? Can’t a girl get a break every once in a while?
Eventually, your eyes will go bad and you won’t notice so many of the visual external body changes. I have just entered my 3/4 life crisis. I joined a gym two months ago and I work out there three times a week. I am also trying to eat better, but that is really difficult for me. Unfortunately, our genentics take over no mater what we do! I am gratefull for each day that I have and I try to make the most of it. The bottom line is that I think you are going to be a beautiful woman for a long, long time. Enjoy it!
-Joe
Awww… thanks Joe 🙂 I know, today is the youngest I’m ever going to be! I’ll do my best to make the MOST of it!
What matters is the beauty that shines from the inside out. I have been blessed with good skin, however; living in a place that receives sun 360 days a year really have to be on the defensive side of preventing sun damage. Great post with a little humor twist. Something we all think about when we look in a mirror:)
I am with ya girlfriend. I have a different “peace” I make with mine. I ignore them in hopes we can live together in grudging harmony. But then I am 45 so they don’t don’t sneak up on me one at a time anymore rather they band together and 2 or 3 will jump out at me like an unwanted surprise party. When they get the best of me I just take a look at the back of my hands which remind me so much of my beloved grandmother (not that they look just like hers…yet) and I am comforted by her memory and forget they are my own. Ahhh denial…ain’t life grand? 😉
Oh trust me there is a lot worse than those things coming your way. I have been extremely shocked over the last few years at some of things I have noticed. Shocked and mad. Really how dare these things happen to me. 51 is just not old enough to have these things that I will not mention happen. 🙂
Thanks everyone. I know… it’s all downhill from here right? There is plenty to be happy about as we age though. No wonder they say you get more comfortable in your own skin as you age… it gets looser! HA! 🙂