DNA

It's one of the best presents ever – our temp is above freezing today! There's a gentle breeze actually coming from the south, the sun has been out most of the day, and the icicles are dripping. It was a wonderful day to get out of town and do some shopping. We enjoyed ourselves, we didn't feel like we had to hurry to get out of the cold, and we scored some good buys.

The house smells wonderful now, because I stumbled on a ham sale. I almost didn't notice the bright yellow stickers on a few of the hams in the display case, but that yellow did catch my eye. I read the label, blinked my eyes, and read again – those few hams had been marked down to 94 cents per pound. Three of them came home with us, and one is in the oven now.

You know, there comes a point in life where you start realizing all the oddities that go with natural human aging. One day you look in the mirror and start seeing laugh lines around your eyes. Before you know it, you have “granny flab” under your arms. Upper eyelids start to sag. Hair starts to thin and changes color. And alternatively, other hairs start to appear in places they really don't belong.

Some things bag, other things sag. And when you get out of bed in the morning, everything does truly go snap, crackle, and pop. Trifocals make going down steps and things as simple as sweeping the floor a big challenge. “Huh” is the most often word uttered, and you wear out the carpet going back and forth trying to remember what it was you set out to do.

A couple of weeks ago Mom and I went to a local funeral. My aunt and uncle were also there. There were so many people I saw there who looked familiar, but I couldn't place who they were. My aunt leaned over at one point and asked me who a particular fellow was – someone I had been trying to figure out as well. He was rather portly looking, gray hair and beard. I leaned over so only she could hear me and told her that I didn't know, but I was realizing all the people who USED to be my age have gotten old! My aunt had a good chuckle from that.

I've always considered myself fortunate because I'm one of those people who hasn't changed much over the years. Hopefully I'm still at the point I don't look my age as well, but I'm not as sure of that as I used to be. It's awkward sometimes when people from my past recognize me so easily, especially if I don't recognize them!

In a bit of whimsy, hubby and I have our high school graduation photos hanging together in the living room. I haven't changed all that much – except for the wrinkles, of course. Hubby, on the other hand, has changed a lot. I can look from that photo to his face and see the similarities in his smile, the shape of his face. But I seriously doubt that anyone he went to high school with would recognize him on the street.

We all age so differently, even those of us who share DNA. A while after my maternal grandmother passed away in 1993, both Mom and her older brother were at a public event. Someone saw Mom across the room and made a public comment that Margaret really looked good for her age. The comment got back to my uncle rather quickly - and as the oldest child he couldn't wait to share that comment with Mom...........since Margaret was my departed grandmother's name, Mom didn't find that comment nearly as humorous as my uncle! He still laughs when he tells that story.