Amazing Grays

Amazing Grays, Or: Surviving The Nifty Fifties
By Donna Lowich

“Oh, look at all those lines. Where did they come from?” I grumbled to myself as I applied my makeup base to my face. “I didn’t see them there yesterday.”

Of course, they weren’t there yesterday.Yesterday was not my fifty-fifth birthday, and yesterday I was not so aware of the increasing number of lines criss-crossing my face and the spreading patches of gray hairs staring back at me from the mirror. I tried, unsuccessfully, to chalk it up to bad lighting. That didn’t work as the same patches of gray and the same “laugh” and “frown” lines were evident no matter which room I was in when I checked my reflection. “Mirror, mirror on the wall..” was not a question I wanted answered this morning!

I was in the midst of my angst on aging when a young delivery person appeared at the back door, bringing me a bouquet of the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen! I forgot my consternation over my small facial lines and Mother Nature’s re-coloring of my hair, at least for the moment.Opening the card, I read the note from my son, Jeff, the sender of my floral pick-me-up. The note read:

Happy 55th Birthday, Mom!
I can hardly believe it! You don’t look a day over 35!
Love,
Jeff

Jeff, always generous in both his actions and his words, made such a difference in how I felt with just that one message; I had tears in my eyes and a smile in my heart.

I called him up and thanked him for his thoughtfulness and generosity. I also wanted to thank him for the kind note he had attached to the arrangement. “Thank you so much, Jeff,” I said, and then after pausing, continued: “Thanks for the wonderful note. You made me feel so much better.”

I couldn’t help myself, so I continued, “But 35? That really IS generous…heck, I’d have been happy with 50!”