I refuse to age gracefully! A novella

We deserve to indulge in girly delights!  I find myself paying more attention to my makeup and hair too...although I have always made sure my hair looked nice and would never go out without makeup....I'm using more skin care products than before and doing more than just mascara with my eyes.  Lipstick now too. 

It's fun and I'm going to keep doing it.  I've always been pretty outgoing, so I really don't see much of a change in personality.  I love getting looks from people who know me but haven't seen me for a long time. 

Tonight, for instance I was in the grocery store.  A man got in line behind me.  I've known him for years.   I said hi and went about my business of paying for my groceries.  I could tell he was staring.  Then as I was getting ready to leave, he asked how my husband is doing.  He still had a funny look on his face like he wasn't quite sure he was talking to the person he thought he was talking to.  Once he heard my voice, I could tell then that he knew it really was me. 

Enjoying it! 

I am right with you sister!! I love wearing clothes and make-up now,  I look at myself in the mirror everyday and I still can't believe it is really me that I am looking at. I dress way different now and I absolutely love it and I don't care if I am too old to wear something I wear what I like and what makes me feel good!!! I missed out on way too many years of not feeling good in clothes, now if only I could afford plastics so I can feel good when I look at myself without clothes on, but that is a whole other issue!!

you hit the nail on the head, Elina!  I so care, suddenly, about my clothes and makeup after missing out on all those years when I thought it didn't make any difference.

I'm with everyone else here: enjoy it!  we deserve this.

 
Hey Elina.......

I refrained from posting on your thread.....I wanted to see how it was going to develop.

Personally I see nothing wrong with bettering yourself. Re-invention, Re-discovery..... getting even, getting something you missed or never had...... It's all good....... Well.....sort of......

This is what I find attractive about you........

Sure.....you got your new figure..... you got your style.....you carry yourself well.....you got the outside package goin on ..... Cool....

Next.... your smart, enthusiastic, very receptive to learning and sharing.....

This is what you have that makes all the above worthwhile.........

Ever since I've been reading your posts from my beginnings here......

You have always praised your husband and have shown your commitment to your children and family.

That my friend is VERY ATTRACTIVE........keeping your core values and being able to improve your outer image makes you the complete package!!!!

Just keep doin what your doin......just never do anything to compromise your core set of values !!!

frisco has spoken......

Thank you Frisco for your kind words.  What I am mostly talking about are the superficial things.  I would never do anything that would put my family or my marriage in jeopardy.  Everyone that knows me, knows that my family is my whole world.  They are the core of what really matters to me, and that will never change.  But my new attitude does have an effect on them.  My husband does not really mind, although I think sometimes he does get a little tired of the subject of VSG and other improvements.  But mostly he has been very supportive through all of this.  It is more that the time equation has changed since I reached goal, before all of my free time would be spend focused solely on the children's welfare, now, I carve out a chunk of time for myself and my interests.  This was not true before.  Sometimes I feel a bit guilty about taking the time away from them and putting into my interests.  It is a tough balancing act.  Don't get me wrong, the children still come first, but now, I also matter.  I wonder if this makes sense.  It's all about a shift in attention and time.  I believe that the way we show our love is through the amount of attention and time we give to a person or interest.  The fact that I now put some of this time and attention toward my own interests makes me feel a little guilty.  This is new for me.  I think it is healthy as long as it is done with consideration of their needs as well.  I am learning a new balancing act.

HI Elina
I see no conflict between aging gracefully and aging gorgously. I mean we will all age but that doesn't mean we have to look every year of it or not do fun girly fancy stuff. You have your head on straight about the value of your husband and family so why not do the shoes and cosmetics and fun stuff. Enjoy it. I feel like i missed all of this stuff too as i was overweight from a young age and while i dont get into getting gussied up to often, once in a while its sure nice.

i have a tube of latisse i never used but will see that doc monday and am gonna ask about it again. i have always had minimal eyelashes even though i have thick hair. interestngly, i think taking the biotin for wls hair loss helped my lashes some. I am seeing this doc for issues on my hands but he is also a board certified plastic surgeon and i am gonna consult on maybe a face lift. see what the options are since there are lots. decided that i just can't fix all the other body sags and such but face is doable and just fine  anyway for a lady pushing 60.

So have all the fun. I think its totally good and healthy. you know who you are and what you are about and its lots more than shoes and make up. they are just trimmings but fun ones so why not. And especially if your husband is cool with it. And if you find good face creams to minimize wrinkles you must promise to report here. i am in the market for some.

Can't wait to meet you at los gatos.    Diane

Diane, please let me know what your doctor tells you about Latisse.  I am very curious, but cautious at the same time.  Something about taking a glaucoma medicine for the rest of your life in order to have longer lashes makes my uncomfortable.  On the other hand, I sure would love some longer lashes...   Being a woman and a wife and a mother and a small business owner is a huge balancing act.  I don't always get it right, but I do try.  Sometimes, things get a little out of balance, and I need to bring them back in line.  I also have the type of personality that focuses on something like a laser and although that can be helpful is some situations, it makes it harder to keep the balance going.  Diane, tell us more about the dog show.  I am really curious about how things went and what you learned. 

Elina,

     Try the "Neu Lash" it seems to work just as well as the Latisse, but without the side effects. I am using both only because I have the Latisse, but when I run out, I am only going to use the "Neu Lash" and see what happens.  Will keep you and everyone else who's interested updated. I love guinea pigs!

Thank you, I am going to do some research into it and try it.  Please tell me how well it is working for you and if you have any issues with it.  It seems like a big commitment and I would not want to do any harm to my health by using it.  If you come across any good research on it, I would love to see it. Thank you for telling me about it.

Hmm. Where am I in this aging process?

Well, I don't dye my hair or wear makeup and I think the idea of getting what few face wrinkles I have fixed is kind of strange. In fact, I kind of love my forehead and eye wrinkles. (The ones I hate are the ones caused by loose skin from being fat, not the ones caused by age.)

OTOH, I just got a tattoo, am thinking about getting my naval pierced, and have a pair of leggings with skulls on them. Oh and I listen to punk rock.

I don't think any of the cosmetic stuff matters... primp or don't primp, change/hide imperfections of aging or don't. That stuff doesn't make you young or make you old either way. In reality, you are as young as you feel and *chose to act*.

I know people younger than me who are ancient. They only listen to music they grew up with and never go anywhere or do anything adventurous. But they dye their hair to hide the gray. It doesn't fool anyone though... they are still OLD AS THE HILLS.