Friday, October 5, 2012

She Looks Good for Her Age

I went for my yearly vision/eye check up today and the doctor thinks my eyes are just remarkable for someone my age. I know he meant that as a compliment, but being blind as a bat without my contacts or glasses is not so remarkable to me. I had great, no perfect vision until around the age of 47. Then, I needed reading glasses. I'd buy the cheap kind and would lose a pair a week. In the ensuing 10 years, I started buying "close up" and "far away" glasses. Then the inevitable happened. I needed prescription glasses to wear all the time. Bothersome, really bothersome, so about 5 years ago, I started wearing contacts. I'm not going to say I absolutely love them, but it beats having something on my face all the time, and I can see to put on my make-up. I am too chicken to do the laser thing. This is not to say that glasses are awful or unattractive. They are just not one of my favorite accessories.

And here's another thing. I have a problem with someone saying, "Boy, she really looks good for her age." Just what is that supposed to mean? Should someone, say me for instance, look gawdawful and snaggle-toothed? I've stopped telling people my age. Because of genetics, I tend to look younger than my years. I've had absolutely nothing to do with it. My mom and dad had a good combination of genes. I used to tell people my age and was kind of proud when they'd say, "Really??? Wow! I thought you were much younger." Now, people tend to look at a person of my age as someone with one foot in the grave and the other foot wearing a sensible shoe.

I think to myself that Susan Sarandon is older than me and she looks darn good, even sexy. So does Dolly Parton, but she's had some work done. So today I have remarkable eyes for someone my age. Let's face it. I'm beyond the age of getting wolf whistles and rude "hey baby" comments from the opposite sex. The days of my long blond hair, tight little butt, and perky little boobs are long past, but I did sport that kind of look at one time. Now, I'm sucking in my gut to no avail and pulling my bra up as far as it will go without strangling myself. The lines on my face show I have character. Yea, right. Have you ever looked in the mirror and pulled your skin back to see how it used to look? Yeah, me too.

The thing is, I'm not unhappy. I have a really cute husband who loves me a lot. And today, while I was in a store, a young man fixed a package for me and took off over $6 for the final sale. We'd been carrying on a nice little conversation.When he handed me the package, he winked at me. Now, that could have meant he thought I was cute for an old broad or he felt sorry for me and thought he'd give me a thrill.

Either way, I left the store smiling. Maybe I really do look pretty good for my age. I still have my teeth...well, most of them anyway. 


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