The Change

In the five years that my mother has been gone, my life has gone through many changes. Now the matriarch of the family; I have gained 20 pounds, resigned from a job, become an empty Nestor, lost touch with friends, found some old friends, and got a little better at golf. The biggest issue is menopause! While my young daughters are fertile and thinking of marriage and children, I may have finally had the last period. I begged for this time to arrive and even had a uterine ablation to avoid surgery and hopefully speed up the "change". Now there are new annoyances. Hemorrhoids have appeared- well i can't see them but I sure can feel something funny going on. Saddlebags have appeared, and I can't button my pants. Grey hair has appeared. Sure, I can dye it like all my friends, and struggle with the roots and chemicals- yuk. I can diet like all my friends. But, I really eat in a pretty healthy manner and exercise weekly although less than I used to. I didn't used to read or write- so, there is the trade off. My family tells me I am beautiful and that I don't need to change. Moles have appeared. The darn things have always plagued me. Arthritis, or something like it is attacking my hands and feet. Ouch, itch, and arg! How often should I be bugging the doctor about these things? Time for a good physical and consultation. But I hate the tests and the further tests that always seem necessary to find out that my breasts are fine and my fibroids are fine and my cervix is fine, my colon is cute, and my teeth are getting chipped and yellow. Poop! Oh, yes I need more fiber I am sure. I know an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. But, there is no cure for getting old. Adding more fun, helps us to forget we are old and still in debt. So, let's go dancing and have a few cocktails. The bus leaves at 5:00.