By Charlotte Byus
I know, I know, Momma said, “never say hate.” Well I do! I hate mirrors of all sizes! You know those huge mirrors that hang on the walls in the bathrooms that make everything look 5X’s their normal size. How is it that during the night a 5 foot long hair will grow on your face? Now you have to find the tweezers, and you have to go to that horrible mirror to get rid of that darn hair. While you’re there, you notice “other” things on your face you do not care for, like that really big black head in the spot on your nose you can’t get to. Really! And while you’re there, you notice more wrinkles than the week before.

Then, there’s the standing mirror. You know, the one over there in the corner that you look at just before you’re leaving for the day. OMG! I really hate it. Where did that rear-end come from? I know it wasn’t that big yesterday. Maybe that’s because you didn’t have your glasses on yet. I get dressed from my closet, then look in that standing mirror to see how well everything looks together. Some mornings are traumatic – those blues really don’t go together. And then I realize that is not blue on blue, it’s black on blue, and have to start over. Another mistake, don’t ever look straight into that mirror either, you’ll just cry and probably have to start over with the make-up too.

Other gripes – I hate the fact that when I wake up in the morning, it appears as if those eight hours of being in that bed had not helped. I hate the fact that now it takes days to clean the house, not just a few hours. There are only two of us! I also hate the fact that getting up off my knees after working in the flowerbed is harder than the effort of getting down to the flowerbed. My brain and my heart know I can still do a hundred other things but this Over-60-year-old body knows better. I sometimes think the body is laughing at me.

A prime example was last year’s vacation to the Comal River. I have always prided myself on being a strong swimmer and my job has always been to assist everyone else to get in their tubes in that cold water. Last year my two older grandsons asked me, “Grandma, can I help you get in your tube?” I wanted to cry! It never dawned on me “I” might need assistance. So what do you think I did? I said, “No, thank you,” and dove into the river, pretending I was sixteen again. I’m surprised I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke – darn that water was cold!

Really, I guess I don’t hate all of these things. My question is, “when did I become the older generation?” I can tell you right here and now I will go down fighting every step of the way. Old age is going to need to Run to catch me. Who am I kidding?

Have a great day and enjoy every sunrise and sunset.
[11-17-2015]