Life’s box of chocolates
Life is full of surprises.
This week the Walkie Talkie Dolls got a new member. It was a surprise to discover it’s some unrecognisable old woman who seems to be able to superimpose herself in front of me in all the mirrors and photos. She looks vaguely familiar but she’s welcome to keep to all those wrinkles and tragic sagging to herself. As for me, I’ve still got shiny hair, perfect eyesight, perfect teeth and hips that swing.
Regardless, she came with me on my 70th birthday this week and I’m starting to make peace with that creaky old interloper. Together we put on a posh wee morning tea and got dressed up in our posh frocks with our friends.
In our little beachside village, track pants, swimming togs and stretchy tights are de rigeur, so the chance to get dressed up, drink a glass of bubbly, eat a piece of cake and catch up with friends was great. We all scrubbed up very well for an hour or so before subsiding back to our couches and the trackies.
Despite the outer physical deterioration of getting older, inside we are all still the same. We still feel young and the trick is to keep on letting the inside out.
There are some wonderful things about being old; the memories, the confidence, the freedom, wearing that tule skirt if you want to and appreciating a really good glass of wine. But the best thing is the friendships.
I truly cherish the people in my life who have been there through all the huge ups and downs, living through it all with me while I try to survive all that seems to have been flung at me.
In this long passage of time we have friends who have witnessed and walked with us through our lives. And we have friends we have only just met and may never see again and we have friends whose lives click with our own perfectly the minute we meet them . This is the surprise and unexpected joy of old age - walking this path with others who get it and get you. And having the time to find that out.
Meanwhile, the interloper is still here and seems to be settling in- I guess I’ll have to let her stay.
