Growing old gracefully …. NOT

I want to grow old gracefully, sometimes, but other times I don’t want to. I love to dance, sing, get drunk and go out and have a good time. I like to dress up, I like to wear short skirts and high heels and slap makeup on my face. So why do I sometimes feel that I am not supposed to do this. Am I suppose to wear knee length skirts with a matching twin set and pearls. I think not. In this day and age of women being able to wear what they like and express themselves how we like without being shamed or ogled or made to feel like we are “asking for it”. No, no we are not, we are just wearing what we like and makes us feel comfortable. We have shouted from the roof tops that this does not give others the right to diminish, shame or sexualise women based on what we are wearing. So as an older woman I have the right to wear whatever I like and not be given disparaging looks or comments. But then on the flip side we are also not allowed to grow old and look old. I like Jamie Lee-Curtis who says that it shouldn’t be anti-aging, it should be pro-aging. We should be allowed to age with intelligence, grace, dignity, verve and energy. So not just gracefully.

This Friday saw me going out with friends to celebrate the end of term and myself and others moving on to pastures new. As most evenings like this given the opportunity you know that I like to dress up. I choose wisely based on the weather conditions and how I am feeling at the time. I booked a hotel as I didn’t want to have to drive back, I wanted to go out and let my hair down. Which is a really interesting phrase as it is usually the opposite as it gets hot on the dance floor so you usually put your hair up. Anyway, as with most occasions when I am going out and I am not at home I will take a selection of outfits and then I decide when getting ready what to wear. I know I usually get those telling me they pack light taking only one tiny bag with one outfit and one pair of shoes. Quite frankly, I don’t care. I don’t care that you pride yourself in travelling light, I don’t. In fact, I will always pack to the capacity that I am allowed (sometimes even going over this), so I can have a choice. I like a choice, I don’t always know how I am going to feel so I give my self some options.

I keep digressing, sorry. Anyway, I get to the hotel, it is the hottest day of the year so far and so I decide to dress in something flowy and off the shoulder. I have great shoulders due to running so I like to show them off while I still can. Also whilst I can still get away with no bra. I know the time will come when that probably won’t be the case but again I am taking advantage of every opportunity. Flat sparkly shoes are the choice, big dangly earrings and sunglasses and the look is complete. 

We meet up on the balcony at the pub and I order a bottle of Prosecco, it would have been Champagne 🥂 but they don’t serve it (a little oversight on my part) as I am planning to as the phrase goes, let my hair down. The plan for the evening was to go to a hotel that has a karaoke evening so we can hopefully embarrass ourselves and have some fun. After a couple of hours we left the pub and started walking in a direction I had never been in before. One of the group said they were taking me to the dodgy end of town and after 5 minutes or so we stopped at this quite tired looking hotel and went into the bar. Inside there were a handful of older men and woman who were having a quiet drink whilst one of their friends was singing at the karaoke stage. Unfortunately for them their peaceful evening was then shattered as we proceeded to drink, sing and dance (and in some cases on the table) until the bar closed. 

We had an amazing time and people young and old had great fun. The regulars continued to come up and sing there songs, they joined in with us dancing and I hope had a great night. Though probably went home and moaned about their local being overrun with youngsters. But I am hoping they didn’t. I am hoping that they remember that we are all young at heart and that despite the stereotyping of old people that the truth is we don’t want to grow old graceful, we want to continue to party, to have fun, to get drunk, to dance, to sing, to do whatever we want (legally) that makes us happy and to not be judged. To not be told that that is not respectable behaviour, that we should stay at home and watch telly, that we should be looking after ourselves. Bugger that, as I look towards retiring in a few years time, I want to enjoy life, I want to take risks, I want to do things I haven’t done before (though I am running out of these so any suggestions would be great), I want to wear what I like and carry on doing the things I enjoy as long as I can. In the words of Hunter S Thompson “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention to arrive safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming Wow! What a ride!”

Thanks

PS The pictures are form that evening, enjoy.