Ladies, help me solve a mystery this morning. It’s my birthday, help a sister out:-) Gentlemen, feel free to weigh in as well. What’s up with the aging thing? Why are we so afraid to reveal our age after a certain time? What’s up with that? “Never ask a lady her age”  is almost as high ranking as “Don’t put your hand in a black woman’s hair”. The latter I admittedly I taught my sons 🙂  

But truthfully, it’s something that I ponder. I know I think differently about a lot of things, therefore my query this morning. I have never had a problem with my age and I consider it a tremendous blessing to have reached thus far. Earlier this year we had 3 or more persons from our school year that died, they didn’t make to 51. So I am blessed! God has a special place in His heart for the aged, and so I am treasured by Him and grateful for each year.

So, as I pondered this aging thing, here as some of my theories as to why we ‘hide’ our age. I could be wrong, but these are my theories:

• You don’t feel that you have accomplished what you wanted by the age. So, according to our conscious or subconscious timeline, you are way behind schedule. I understand this to some degree, but I have also come to realize that a lot of ways we measure our success, needs adjusting. For instance, I heard a gentleman from Abaco state that he worked his whole life to build his house, and there it was a pile of matchsticks. My heart broke for him and I prayed that he had other aspects to focus on. https://dawnfranklin.org/blog/2019/07/06/redefining-success-well-at-least-reassessing-it/

•  We think that admitting that we are aging, means we are inching closer and closer to death. But the reality is NO ONE KNOWS THE DAY OR HOUR. So just because we are 50, doesn’t mean you automatically have 30 or 40 years put down. Pretending to be younger than we are doesn’t guarantee us more years. Children die. Our mortality is often not up to us nor does it depend on our age. There are ‘sickly’ 20 years old and super healthy 70 years old.

• Third possible reason…the Man Thing. Let’s be real, some of us don’t want to admit or accept our age, because of how we perceive we will look to the opposite sex. This is for two reasons:

1. We all know men who have left their partners for women half their age, so we hope that the younger we appear to be, the more attractive and ‘wanted’ we will be. Hmmmm….
2. Also, suppose we fall for a younger man, we don’t want to be labelled a ‘cougar’ or heaven forbid that people start talking about us in a derogatory manner. Albeit it is okay for a man to be with whomever they please regardless of age. 

So if we are all about equality, all in the ‘me too’ movement and everything, why are we sometimes so insecure about how we appear to the opposite sex?

So, ladies, help me understand. I’m addressing the ladies today because you hardly ever hear men hiding their age. Do any of my assumptions make sense? Are there more reasons? Of course if you are like me and a relatively private person, it really isn’t anyone’s business how old you are! But that’s not what I’m addressing today, I’m talking about deliberating trying to appear younger; which truth be known is an almost impossible task once you went to school, or have to present your ID anywhere. So……

I am very, very happy to be alive and well, last year I shared what I learnt by 50, and this last year I’ve learnt even more! https://dawnfranklin.org/blog/2018/09/20/50-my-top-10-lessons-learnt-from-last-5-decades/ So Daddy God, thank You so much for granting me another year of life! I went outside this morning, enjoyed a little sun and took some pics. Why not ? 🙂 My hope is in the Lord, my strength is being renewed and I will continue soaring on wings like an eagle! (Isaiah 40:31)

Grateful for another one! Coach D