What Women Know . . . about age

What Women Know . . . about age

This blog is being compiled in order to create a book of wisdom, written by women for women. . . so please contribute! Click the comment icon, or post an email, and don't forget to tell us who you are, a first name, age and what you do, so that all contributions to our book can be acknowledged!

When compiling topics for discussion on this blog I asked a woman who is in her mid-thirties, what was a topic that concerned her? This woman is beautiful – she has adorable children and a husband who loves her and provides very well for her keeping her in a comfortable home with many luxuries most would only dream of. So when she told me that an area that she was concerned about was aging, I was a bit taken aback. Surely with so much going for this woman she would have the confidence to grow old gracefully and enjoy the wisdom that comes with it. Then it struck me that if she was feeling this way, how do other women feel about aging?
I asked a single woman who is slightly older than the other woman and a psychologist by profession the same question and she was quick to tell me that she felt an area that needed addressing was age. However for a very different reason to the first woman. She started to tell me about her grandmother and the knowledge and sense that she spoke and how she had helped her when she found herself confronted by difficulties. She said that the older woman had a groundedness and was earthed in a way that younger women are lacking. She often had the answers to problems she encountered and a way of dealing with them that she lacked for all her learning. I wanted to applaud and shout from the rooftops for old age because to reach old age it means that we take experience and learning with us. This knowledge gives us an insight into our abilities and creativity as a sex. To fear aging is to fear life itself – for with the demise of the outer shell comes a greater insight. As the layers of superficial importance of unblemished skin and flowing hair disappear under the middle age spread and greying temples – so too comes the wisdom to see that those who value you for your looks and youth are not worth the importance they may have been given.

By the way, my mother’s advice when asked about aging was to always wear a hat in the sun – as she pointed to the lines on her face!