Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Can't you see....You have....everything your heart desires...

My husband puts such a big smile on my face!!!!



"Those shoes look pretty on you....I wish I could wear something like that.  I'd fall off the heels!"  


I turned to see who was speaking and saw that it was a well dressed older woman looking at me from the end of the shoe aisle in one of my regular thrifting holes.  We struck up a conversation about shoes; both of us agreeing that NEITHER of us needed another pair!  Of course, as we talked we were trying on shoes and gathering up our goodies.  Ms. Unknown said to me, "Oh, I just LOVE shoes!  I have more at home than could fit on these racks!"  I agreed and assured her, that I too, was busting at my shoe seams.  "You know what else I love?" she says.  "JEWELRY!!!"  Ms. Lovely Woman whom I feel like may be my senior doppelganger went on to explain that she loves jewelry because it ALWAYS fits!  BRILLIANT!  That's so true!  And I can certainly share her enthusiasm!


But what I really loved was the promise in her eyes that my love for style probably won't damper with age.  Here she was, probably in her 70s, scouring the shoe section for treasures. I can't tell you how much I LOVE that!  I thought to myself, "That's ME!"  She continues foraging for thrifty treasures because she has a love of pretty things.  I could tell, that like me, she really enjoys being a girl!  How wonderful that that never changes.  That we continue to see ourselves as a young girl, easily excited at the prospect of a new find.  If our children remain our babies in our eyes, regardless of their age; doesn't it make sense that we remain youthful, if not in body then in our mind's eye?


I was speaking with a sweet friend, Joyce, with whom I go to church.  Ms. Joyce is approaching 80 years old and has been married to her husband for 56 years!!  That's AMAZING!  She was relating stories to me of how she and her husband/beau met and courted. She was recounting being a cheerleader and basketball player.  She spoke of it all as if it were just a few weeks ago, when in reality it was basically my mother's lifetime ago (my mother died at 56).  We laughed about how we never see ourselves as old as our age sounds.  In her mind, she is still the same teenage girl who fell in love with a handsome football player.

In my mind, I'm still a goofy 13 year old girl who gets tickled over the most juvenile things.  I still look at others and think, "When will I finally start FEELING mature?  Like I'm a responsible adult with my act together?"  I almost can't help feeling sheepish that I am mother to four kids.....I mean, what in the WORLD made God think that I was (or am now) mature enough to bring them safely to adulthood!?!


The saying is that you're only as old as you feel.  As we age, sometimes things don't move the way they used to.  Stray hairs start growing in odd places and we make all kinds of creaking noises when we move!  So I think of it as, YOU'RE AS YOUNG AS YOU BELIEVE YOURSELF TO BE.  And my Sisters, BELIEVING is a POWERFUL thing!!!

18 comments:

  1. Beautifully said my friend! Emailed you the other day. I have an idea for my trending blog. Need a practice buddy.
    You in?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey there! I didn't get your email. Send it again please to theelegantbohemian at yahoo.com I'm all ears girly!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wonderful post - you peeked inside my head! I have no idea how old I am most times, till I look in the mirror. The silliest things still tickle my funny bone. Let's hope we remain this way till 80 and beyond. You look beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  4. stray hairs in odd places...you make me laugh. I will love fashion till the day I die! It was like that cute woman I saw at my son's graduation..she was probably 80 and still taking pride in style. Love ya!

    ReplyDelete
  5. First of all, I adore those white pants. They look smashing on you!
    The wide leg is fantastic.
    Secondly, I love hearing stories from older, wiser women like the church friend you described.
    And, thirdly - I'm kinda coming to agree with your comment on my Missoni post. If everyone else has it, it doesn't seem so special anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You've given me such hope that I have years ahead of me doing what I am doing right now...having fun!! I can so see us on the blogs years from now..."took my walker and headed out to that new resale shop!!" We will have a great time...as long as we remember the DEPENDS! Seriously, I loved this post....it is really how women connect at all ages.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Serene, you look so happy and pretty in your pictures. Your outfit reminds me of one of my favorites that I had in the 70's. I felt so special in it. It is so right that it seems like just yesterday that we were young. I love Pam's idea of us having walkers and going thrifting! I am loving my life and thankful I have you and all the other wonderful over 50 bloggers to share my thoughts with.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love the outfit, especially the blue on you! In my mind's eye, my hubby and I are still newlyweds althought we will be married 31 years. I am NOT going to the thrift stores with a walker! If I'm like my 92 year old mother, I won't need one!

    ReplyDelete
  9. you look boho chic! I love the top. It's so nice to meet someone thrifting at a golden age. I would want to see myself doing that too. To me age is just a number, I hope to age gracefully with greys, wrinkles and all. You look great, and I believe it's because you have a positive outlook.

    love,mongs
    mythriftycloset.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Age is a tricky subject and totally personal.I feel girlish most of the time until of course I look in the mirror. It's not that I don't like what i see but I can't always relate to it.But it's always nice to meet older people who feel positive.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Those wide leg pants are divine on you, not many call pull this look off so effortlessly! Just the other night my boyfriend teasingly said, "lord only know what you'll be wearing when we're 80!" Now I have something to aspire to!

    ReplyDelete
  12. This post just made me smile. I've sometimes wondered if my childless status keeps me in a state of suspended adolescence, so I'm gratified to hear that women with children also feel this. I hope to run into you in the shoe aisles when we're 85.

    And oh my goodness, I love the crisp blue and white and the romantic 70's-inspired style of that outfit. So nice.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love how you echo my sentiments that our children remain our babies no matter how old they get. This is so irritating to my oldest son and I just can't wait for him to marry and become a parent, so he will understand how that feels.
    As to the "stray hairs in odd places", one of the older women in the pool this morning was commenting that it is so nice when they turn white and are no longer so easy to see. How are you holding up with your daughter away at college?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Serene, I got the link up! It made me a nervous wreck. I have a couple of typos but I was to freaked to try to change it.
    If you have time please try to come over to play with us/me? this weekend.
    Happy weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I feel as immature as ever...for that matter, my mother says she still feels 20-something.

    Meanwhile that jewelry-loving lady needs the link to my site!

    ReplyDelete
  16. My love for the meditative art of creating outfits only increases over time. Sounds like your friend at the thrift shop agrees!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Beautiful post. I hope to be like your unknown friend, well into my senior years yet still hunting down treasures. Love your top, the pattern and colours are quite pretty. It looks like it could also be a (very) short dress as well as a top!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love jewelry 'cause it always fits - oh my, what a great, great line!) Thank you so much for sharing)))

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! ~Serene