You're as young as you feel

When I was younger, I used to hear this phrase all the time from older family members and their friends. They would say "I still feel 18 inside". I still hear it now from colleagues and friends. I have never thought much about it until now and frankly I think they are talking absolute rubbish.
I never felt "old" until I reached my late 40's. Then, all of a sudden, my body slowly, bit by bit changed in hideous ways, gravity started taking over, bits of me started to ache, I lost the agility I had to leap over low walls and jump off things. I didn't bounce if I fell over. I became grumpy and cynical. All of which I found pretty depressing. Since I hit the grand old age of 50 years, I actually FEEL old. I most certainly don't feel the same as I did when I was 18 or in my 20s. Was my youth so different from the people who say I feel the same inside now as I did in my teens. What do they mean?
When I was in my teens, I was never happy about the way I looked. Spent ages over doing my hair, putting on my makeup, changed my clothes several times to get the right look. Now, I am a bit more realistic about my looks and frankly I could spend a fortune in time and money on my appearance and I doubt that it would make a huge difference. However, I accept that I look the way I do and that is that! I don't like the effect the aging process has on me but I no longer have the insecurities about my appearance that I used to. I look at photos of myself then and what I realise now is however much I hated my appearance then, I would give anything to look like that now. I realise we are all beautiful, we just don't know it. Even now when I look in the mirror and sigh. I know that in 10 years time I will probably wish I could look as good as I look today.
As I have got older, my confidence has increased. I am more sure of myself, it doesn't bother me what other people think. I have the courage of my convictions and am not afraid to stand up and say so. Not so in my youth. I cared desperately what others thought of me.
I could go on and on, I'm not the same and I don't feel the same. I am a different person.
Of course some things have not changed, I still love reading books, I still want to travel ( but now I want a cruise ship instead of a tent in a field). I have always appreciated the beauty of nature but now I don't take it for granted. I still love music and like most of my generation, have no problems listening to todays musicians and bands.
So tell me, if you are only as old as you feel, what do you mean?

You might wonder about the photo. The plums represent my youth and the limes and lemons are where I am now. Sour, acidic but a good gin and tonic wouldn't be the same without them. ; )



-- Post From My iPhone

My first attempt at making cookies

This is a photo of my first attempt at making cookies. I have placed them next to the photo in the cook book which illustrates how they should look.
The picture says it all, I can't bake cookies. I have no idea what went wrong but it went wrong big time!


-- Post From My iPhone

Aha!!

I was just writing a 5 star review for the Blogpress app which allows me to do this. Found out how to do this by reading one of the other reviews. Apart from the font being microscopic as I am typing, it's fantastic. Apologies for the same photo twice but it's in a good cause.


-- Post From My iPhone

Knitting for charity

Hats for innocent smoothie bottles

Knitting hats for charity

I have knitted some small hats for the Innocent smoothie Company. Every year they organise "The Big Knit". This is where hundreds of knitters knit little hats to fit the tops of Innocent Smoothie bottles. At the beginning of November, the hats go on sale in Sainsburys and they donate 35p to Age Concern for every bottle sold which is wearing a hat. Last year over £250,000 was raised. It's a great project, a great way to get rid of all those little bits of wool and a great way to learn to knit. Each hat only takes about 20 mins to knit. So if you fancy a go......

-- Post From My iPhone

I love my iPhone

I'm a bit if a gadget junkie but hard times with divorce and the recession put a stop to that. But that was ok, I was happy and content with my life, I didn't need a gadget to thrill me. All was fine until my children got an iPhone. I wanted one. My old mobile was about 6 yrs old and frankly getting passed it. So, my mobile sort of packed up and it didn't take me long to get down to the Apple shop and get me one. Fantastic. Managed a text to the kids with my new number. Couldn't make a telephone call because I couldn't find the phone bit of it although I eventually worked it out for myself. .. In the end... After a bit.
So now I am addicted to it. I browse the applications store several times a day, download apps like tomorrow will never come. I Twitter away happily, I play games, take photos, text them onto friends and family, upload them to flickr etc. All I had to do was sort out my blog. Finally after various tries - Here I am, yayyyy!!!! Now I can bore - I mean blog more frequently. Brilliant stuff.


-- Post From My iPhone