How did this happen?

Do you ever look in the mirror and wonder how did this happen? Where did this grey hair come from?  When did that wrinkle get there? I never really did until this year when I hit the big 40.  Honestly being forty doesn't really bother me. It's the actual aging process that stinks!

Once when I was little, I was staying with my great grandma Richards.  (she was my mom's, mom) I don't recall what it was we were doing but, I do recall lifting her arm up. Kind of like she was showing me her muscle.  Except, well, when you are a great grandma things are not firm.  Grandma Richards was no exception.  So I take her arm and lift it up and tap the bottom and laugh because it starts swinging back and forth. I got the biggest kick out of it and would do it over and over. She would laugh and tell me, you just wait.  It will happen to you one day too. Sadly, that day has arrived.  No, I have not had any punk kid mess with my saggy arms but, I know it will happen when I have grand kids of my own.

When you are in your twenties you don't think anything of it.  Your skin is always nice and firm.  You don't have grey hair and you just don't get what all the fuss is about.  You hit thirty and start to wonder what the heck is happening to your body.  Why is there hairs growing out of places it never did before. About the time you finally get over that, grey hair starts to show up.  Honestly, all of that is nothing that a pair of tweezers and a bottle of loving care won't take care of.  As you start to get up in your thirties you notice that things aren't in the same spot when you lay down. You try to put your arm down and you find a breast in your arm pit and your nipples are starting to face down south. Gravity is NOT kind. When you hit forty you start to notice that your skin isn't quite as firm as it once was.  You can play ham bone on your under arm, you have more grey in your hair and you have so much hair on your upper lip and chin that if you aren't careful you will have a goatee thinker than your husbands. Okay, okay, some of that was a slight exaggeration for laughs but, it's not far from the truth.

My point, if you are under the age of forty enjoy it.  Don't take your firm skin for granted.  Don't start coloring your hair for fun because before you know it you will HAVE to do it.  Kind of like when you were little and were dieing to shave your legs. As soon as you did shave then you had to shave frequently.  Then you wish you never started to shave in the first place. You only live once and this is the only body you will ever get so take care of it. 

If you are forty and none of the things I mentioned are happening to you, well, I don't like you.  Just kidding.  Consider yourself blessed and let the rest of us know how you did it in the comments.

The best advice I could ever give you is forgive quickly, love unconditionally and be the kind of friend that you would like to have.

Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!

Jackie 

PS: Happy Birthday Whitney!