A woman of a certain age...

That's me. A woman of a certain age. I always wondered what I would be like when I was older and now - here I am - older. Not old, just older.

I have a pretty amazing life. I have a husband that is unparalleled when it comes to being the best husband in the world. Seriously, I would put him up against anyone in that category. He does so much and I know that sometimes that stresses him out but I hope he always knows how much I love and appreciate him for everything he does. He is, quite simply, the best.

My job is pretty good too though I admit I'm kind of over the whole getting up and going to work thing. Really, I would love to retire sometime soon. I'm not burned out and when I work I give it my all but there is other stuff I would love to do and having to adhere to a daily schedule of someone else's making is tedious to me.

My family is, of course, awesome. I know I have been blessed with an amazing support system and the fact that we are so close is brilliant.

I guess I am comfortable at my age. I'm confident that I know what I do is important and that I am competent in what I do. I know people come to me for advice and guidance because they know I understand how this stuff works and I will always be honest and supportive. I have cultivated a kind of wisdom, I think. That's funny! I never thought I would have that but I do! Wisdom. I see younger woman who work with me trying to inch their way in and doing it in a way that, though temporarily puts them in a good light, always inevitably ends with their true colors showing. Woman spending too much time trying to impress the management and not enough time just doing their jobs. And sometimes, those same women, try to place an unflattering spotlight on me to get their needs met.

Being a woman of a certain age, I am also very level headed and being confident in my own abilities, I never allow their actions to make me question my own worth or competencies. And, much to their dismay, that attitude goes a long way to impress my own boss. Oh, the drama-rama!

Yes, at a certain age, the need for drama goes away. Life becomes deeper and better and you just get on with it. They will learn it too as we all have to. I have to admit, it's kind of fun watching it from the other side.

Incredible Shrinking Women!

This week, my Auntie Mayme and Cousin Mickey are here for a short visit from their homes in North Dakota. Auntie Mayme is my mom's sister. She's the second oldest, my mom being the oldest. Now, over the years, and especially this past year I have noticed that my mom has grown increasingly shorter. She used to be about 5'9" for most of her life. At 92 she is about 5'2" right now.

Last night I went to my sister's house for dinner to see my Auntie and Cousin. When my Auntie stepped out of her room I noticed that she too is about 5'2" right now! The funny part was that they had just come back from seeing their other sister in the Chicago area earlier that day. When I asked how that visit was and how sister was they said, with some surprise, "She got SO SHORT!" Hahaha!! It must be a famiy trait. I can only imagine that at some point in my life my now 5'11" frame will shrink down to about 5'2"!

Another very telling thing happened last night as well. You see, my mom has always been the kind of mom that would tell us to do something - say, set the table or make a salad, whatever - and then she would stand there and "supervise" us letting us know we were "doing it wrong". "Doing it wrong" meant that we were doing it in a way that she would never do it whether our way was equally effective or not. Last night my Cousing Mickey was told by my Auntie to cut up some onions for a dish she was making. Then she proceeded to stand there "supervising" her telling her she was cutting them "wrong" and not "cutting enough onions". It was comical to see that even now at our age these women do this. No matter how old we, the children get, mom's will always "know best" even if we are completely capable of doing whatever it is they are asking us to do. It was also funny to see this dynamic happening to my Cousin because that was a sure sign that this "supervising" thing was something my Grandma must have done to them all their lives too.

So it goes....mothers and daughters...tall and short and telling each other what to do.