Rantings of the Odd Duck..........
OK -- Just a little background before I go off on my diatribe!
According to our family, I am weird. Honey and I eat weird stuff. You know, goat cheese, olives, hummus......... stuff that doesn't come from a box or a can. I have never opened a jar of Ragu and called it spaghetti sauce. My pizzas don't come from freezer case. And my bread ... can not be used to remove scuff marks from your wall.
If I want a basket ... I have never called Longerberger. If I want soap .... I don't call Dove. If I want yarn .... I don't pick up a crunchy acrylic from the dime store. And if I want flowers... I don't go to the grocery store and pick up teal blue daisies with the lime green centers and sparkles .. just because it matches my decor. (Like that ever would match my decor!)
My furniture is from antique sales, garage sales and dumpster dives that I have re-painted, re-covered and re-stored. My style is not the latest ... it is not like anyone else .... it is my style.
Yes .... I am the Odd Duck.
So fitting in a very conservative, traditional farm family is difficult for me. Bottom line ... I don't.
Which normally, I am just fine with. But the last few days ............ not so much!
Ya see........ I don't think of myself as old. Yes .... I do have my very own AARP card. Yes ... I enjoy the senior discount at Hancock Fabrics. And if I ever went to Macki-Dees, I am certain I would like their ten cent coffee.
My hair is not treated with color. Nor will it ever be. I am secure in the fact, that if I dyed my hair .. it would look totally unnatural. I am perfectly content with my salt and pepper hair......ok, there is more salt than pepper!
In fact, I am certain that "Gray is the new Blonde". Yep ... that's my motto and I am sticking with it!!!!
But I am not old.
At this very moment of my life, I have so many wonderful things going on .... I have no intention of slowing down. And I really resent people inferring that I should because ..........you are getting older.
The last week has been all about old times, people that I have never met, and aches and pains. And I am tired of it. I don't want to be put on that tour bus to Branson!!!!! (Please don't write me ... I am certain Branson is a lovely town. But my bucket list consists of hitting every winery, brewpub and cheese shop in WI. And grabbing stuff from every single one of them while filling up the truck with antiques, fiber and new memories!)
Just because that calendar on the wall ... points to a specific number .... does the magic of your life disappear??? And if you keep saying "I'm old. You are old. You can't do this. I can't do that."......... don't you make that your new reality?
There are things I don't do. I don't run marathons. But I don't run marathons now just because I am old. I never ran a marathon!
My life has no age restrictions!!! And I resent people making them for me now!!!! If you want to act old, be old, live old ... fine. Just don't make me be around it!!!
So I am sorry that you won't see me at a reunion just because its a reunion. You may find me there seeing friends that make me laugh, make me cry and because I love them.
But I will be the one ... kicking up my heels, drinking one drink too many, laughing too loud and without any pictures of Branson!
According to our family, I am weird. Honey and I eat weird stuff. You know, goat cheese, olives, hummus......... stuff that doesn't come from a box or a can. I have never opened a jar of Ragu and called it spaghetti sauce. My pizzas don't come from freezer case. And my bread ... can not be used to remove scuff marks from your wall.
If I want a basket ... I have never called Longerberger. If I want soap .... I don't call Dove. If I want yarn .... I don't pick up a crunchy acrylic from the dime store. And if I want flowers... I don't go to the grocery store and pick up teal blue daisies with the lime green centers and sparkles .. just because it matches my decor. (Like that ever would match my decor!)
My furniture is from antique sales, garage sales and dumpster dives that I have re-painted, re-covered and re-stored. My style is not the latest ... it is not like anyone else .... it is my style.
Yes .... I am the Odd Duck.
 | |
| This was really Walter ... but you get my drift! |
So fitting in a very conservative, traditional farm family is difficult for me. Bottom line ... I don't.
Which normally, I am just fine with. But the last few days ............ not so much!
Ya see........ I don't think of myself as old. Yes .... I do have my very own AARP card. Yes ... I enjoy the senior discount at Hancock Fabrics. And if I ever went to Macki-Dees, I am certain I would like their ten cent coffee.
My hair is not treated with color. Nor will it ever be. I am secure in the fact, that if I dyed my hair .. it would look totally unnatural. I am perfectly content with my salt and pepper hair......ok, there is more salt than pepper!
In fact, I am certain that "Gray is the new Blonde". Yep ... that's my motto and I am sticking with it!!!!
But I am not old.
At this very moment of my life, I have so many wonderful things going on .... I have no intention of slowing down. And I really resent people inferring that I should because ..........you are getting older.
The last week has been all about old times, people that I have never met, and aches and pains. And I am tired of it. I don't want to be put on that tour bus to Branson!!!!! (Please don't write me ... I am certain Branson is a lovely town. But my bucket list consists of hitting every winery, brewpub and cheese shop in WI. And grabbing stuff from every single one of them while filling up the truck with antiques, fiber and new memories!)
Just because that calendar on the wall ... points to a specific number .... does the magic of your life disappear??? And if you keep saying "I'm old. You are old. You can't do this. I can't do that."......... don't you make that your new reality?
There are things I don't do. I don't run marathons. But I don't run marathons now just because I am old. I never ran a marathon!
My life has no age restrictions!!! And I resent people making them for me now!!!! If you want to act old, be old, live old ... fine. Just don't make me be around it!!!
Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they're yours.
Richard Bach
So I am sorry that you won't see me at a reunion just because its a reunion. You may find me there seeing friends that make me laugh, make me cry and because I love them.
But I will be the one ... kicking up my heels, drinking one drink too many, laughing too loud and without any pictures of Branson!
Comments
kris
I totally agree. We are only as old as we let ourselves become. I know plenty of people (far younger than I in years) who are, in fact much older than I.
Judy