Growing old is a privledge, not a birthright....

I haven't written a blog all week.  I just didn't have a topic I wanted to talk about.  This morning on Facebook, a notice about a really cool guy I went to school with, had passed away this morning.  Bill Wagoner was one of those guys in school that everyone knew because he was so cool.  He played in a band called The U.S. Male.  Bill was the first boy I ever kissed.  He probably would not even remember it, but girls tend to remember stuff like that.  I was in 6th grade at Tippecanoe Elementary and we consolidated three other schools, so all these other kids came to our school for Junior High.  Well, he was a grade older than me, so to have an older guy like him, like a quiet 6th grader like me, was really something.  I believe there was a dance when it happened, he kissed me.  Not a lingering kiss, just a little quick kiss, but to me, at 12 yrs. old, it was the biggest thing.  I must say, I was the envy of my friends.  I think we broke up right after that, because I really don't have any other memories of me and Bill, but I always thought so much of him.  Which brings me to my topic:  Growing old is a privledge, not a birthright.  I was watching Oprah today on aging SuperModels and I think all of them are fighting it with whatever it takes to hold on to their youth.  Some looked better than others.  When Oprah asked Cheryl Tieg if SuperModels have a harder time growing older, she said, "Growing old is a privledge, not a birthright".  That really hit home with me after learning this morning that Bill Wagoner had died.  Every single one of us that have passed the half century mark, have noticed the drastic changes that have occurred in us.  Women, probably more than men.  If you think about growing older as a privledge, it makes you see how lucky you are.  So many people, lose their lives so early and never get to fully enjoy their grandchildren or the retirement that they have earned.  I have struggled with the changes in me these last couple years, but I think I have finally accepted that I have moved onto the next stage of my life.  That doesn't mean I can't miss what once was.  Believe it or not, I used to turn a head in my day and I do miss that.  I have a husband that loves me and accepts me for who I am and loves me anyway.  I posted this on my status today:  Life is a struggle with sprinkles of joy.  That is just the way life is.  Struggles are so much a part of life, everyone has them, but if we can concentrate and cherish our sprinkles, those struggles are easier to bear.  I have decided that I will sparkle as much as I can.  I can remember the way I was, but be happy for who I am now.  We will miss you Bill....

I posted two of my favorite pictures of myself.  Both were taken on cruises.  The first one was on our Hawaiian Cruise in 2003 and the other was on our Jamaica Cruise in 2000. I can remember what it was like to be young and thin, and even though my stomach doesn't look like that anymore, I'm still the same person on the inside.  The one upside to this growing old thing....if I want that cookie, I eat it now...how much damage can I do.  Have a good weekend everyone and do a little sparkling!  After I posted these pictures, I'm having second thoughts about posting them...but I don't know how to get them off without losing my whole blog that I wrote...my insecurity is getting the best of me.  yikes!