How the Grey did this happen?

On Thanksgiving I was asked if I was 30.  I proudly said “I’m 32.”  I don’t mind being 32.  I don’t feel old.  My body on the other hand definitely show the signs of age my mind is denying.  Don’t get me wrong, I know I am not old, but for me 30’s are the first time I am noticing that physically, my body is aging.  It started after having kids.  Suddenly, my hands got age spots.  One day while holding my oldest he pointed to my hands and said “freckles”.  What?  Where did these come from?  I’ve never had freckles on my hands before.  Then the realization came that these were not freckles, they were age spots.  WTF?  I was barely over 30.  This shouldn’t be happening yet.  Age spots are something older people have, and I am not old.

Then I found the first grey hair.  Oh no!!  This will not do.  I dug through my hair to find and single out the one hair that had at some point become grey.  Then I plucked it from my head.  I felt the need to study this offensive stand of hair.  Maybe I was wrong about the color and it just looked that way in the light.  Nope.  It was most certainly grey.  The color was so light that it completely blended into my white counter top.  That’s okay, it was only one and I took care of it.  Over the next year more grey hairs were discovered and removed.  Even if I was pulling out some of my hair at least none of it would be grey.  Over the past week, I found two grey hairs.  On two consecutive days.  On my God, I’m getting old!  It’s okay.  I will just dye my hair.  Then I won’t have any visible grey hairs.  My problems are solved.

I look in the mirror and pat myself on the back for being so smart.

Wait.  I look closer in the mirror and see very noticeable, very light facial hair.  OMG!  I have facial hair!  I should be grateful it isn’t dark.  This can be fixed.  I’ll just make a phone call to my esthetician Michelle at Truth Skin Care and get a lip wax.  Every month for the rest of my life.  Oh God, I’m old!  I’m too young to be old.  

I just need to freshen up and get some rest.  I’ll feel better after some sleep.  I’ll take a shower and brush my teeth and go to bed.  I take off my clothes and see various stretch marks lining my skin from having kids and gaining weight.  Maybe I’ll just take a shower in the dark.  I again applaud my genius.  My skin looks much better after my shower.  It looks younger.  This makes me happy.  I smile into the mirror.  When did my teeth get yellow?  I’m not a coffee drinker.  My teeth should be pearly white.  They just need a good brushing.  Yep, that’s all.  Floss, brush, and smile into the mirror again.  Yes, much better.  Except for that really large gap there.  And why do my teeth still have a yellow color to them?  I brushed.  I had braces.  

What is going on?  Oh, that’s right, I’m now in my 30’s.  When the allnighters of my teens and twenties start to show.  When sleep seems so much more important than it has before.  When metabolism slows down and it is harder to lose weight but easier to find it.  When foods I have always eaten and never had a problem now give me heartburn and indigestion.  When eating to much sweets give me hot flashes at night.

30’s are not all bad though, it is also the time that I own my car.  It was the first car I ever bought and made payments on it for 5 years and now i own it free and clear.  I am married to a great guy and have two adorable kids.  They make me smile, laugh, scream, cry, and teach me a new patients I didn’t know I needed.  I support myself without the help of my parents and have a freedom to make my own choices but have my parents there when my choices don’t have the desired outcome.  I have a level of confidence in myself that comes from knowing who I am, what I want, and what I will put up with.  I don’t have to rely on credit cards to supplement my monthly income.  My credit score is really good.

Who cares if I don’t look 20 anymore.  I live better than I did in my 20’s and that is worth every age spot, grey hair, yellow tooth, and stretch mark I have.  Plus it will have a higher payout when my kids are grown, I am celebrating my 25th wedding anniversary with my husband, and live in a really big house.  A girl can dream, but for now, I think I’ll go get a sweet tea.