Age is just a state of mind

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When I had my first child at the age of 23, I was amazed at the fact that I was back into a size 10 after only two months. “After your third one, it’s the point of no return,” our neighbor at the time yelled from her yard as she pruned roses.  “What is she talking about?” I thought to myself. “Keep your opinions to yourself lady,” I wanted to tell her.  After my second child, I was back to normal within five months and into a size 12.  “That lady still didn’t know what she was talking about, I think she just needed a new hobby,” I still told myself. At the age of 38, I had my third and last child. Lady next door, you were right, and for what its worth I apologize. I never quite made it back into a 12!  I’ve often heard it said that patience is a virtue, and so it is. Many times I have found myself silently yelling at another driver who did not use their turn signal.  “Oh, for the love of ... well, thanks fella, I could have gone already if you had your turn signal on,” or “Could you have turned any slower lady?”  This only to find that the poor lady was about 80 and doing the best she could. “Sorry, lady, I’ll be there some day - heck, I’m almost there now,” I tell myself, remembering that I had just received an offer for an AARP membership in the mail. Scientists claim that 72 is the new 30. Who came up with that, and when? If that’s the case, I wish my body knew this. Life is just a state of mind, I keep telling myself; fair enough, it makes sense. If you know what’s good for you, just stay calm at all costs. Losing your cool may take you a little longer to get back to normal than your younger self. When life makes you angry, you can choose to ignore it, embrace it or just go all out and make that lemonade as sweet as you can!  If you had your last child later in life and you find yourself still raising a teen, you will need all the patience you are able to muster. After the age of 50, however, patience with your teen is not effortless. Patience is a true companion of wisdom to be certain. If I were to write a book on the issue, the first chapter would be named, “The Stare.” The stare on the receiving end is about one paragraph in length and needs no punctuation, just an exclamation mark. Your teen will understand it; it’s a universal paragraph.  My mom used to use it on our French students when she caught one of them washing his feet in our loo (toilet). That day was the only day I had ever known my mother to communicate in French. Six years ago, when I was about to celebrate my 50th birthday, I spent the day telling myself that, if 75 is the new 30, then I’m fine. I pulled up in my driveway after work that evening to find a statue of the Grim Reaper on my doorstep and black balloons all around our house. My neighbor and my husband thought they were funny. Its still not funny. Every milestone portrays a victory. I make myself look at the humorous side of things as much as possible. I give things to God a lot and just go with the flow, which makes things easier. Basically, finding the calmest way out of things is the most advisable choice after 50.  Sharon Hall is editor of The Manning Times.