I read an article titled ‘In search of a good ending’ in the Medical Journal of Australia this week, written by Ann Gregory and Ruth Armstrong (Med J Aust 2013: 196 (4) 175).  The first line stood out like the proverbial dogs balls;

‘Despite much development and increasing complexity in health care, humankind’s mortality rate remains at 100%.”

It led me to start thinking about living life to the max, back to my mantras of living until we die, with the emphasis on living. I have loved getting older, and felt I only grew into my thinking about 15 years ago. I was very old fashioned as a child, acquiring a nickname at home of ‘Granny’ aged 11. I remained quite old fashioned in my outlook and things like clothing until my mid-life. It never worried or bothered me, but it (I) was the butt of many (loving) jokes and comments.

Last weekend my DH and I had dinner with some wonderful friends at Brighton (SA, not the UK!). My girlfriend said she thought I looked the best she had ever seen me… EVER! And she was not referring to my health, but to the way I had dressed. The discussion roamed around the fact that when she first knew me, over 30 years ago, I was very old fashioned. My clothes and outlook were more that of someone in their 50’s or even 70’s!! Her partner, who has not known me this long wondered out loud if this was true, and worried she was offending me. My DH laughed, and mentioned he too thought I was ‘rather old fashioned’ and told them of an outfit I wore on one of our first outings without our children, a dress that went from neck to well below my knees, and old fashioned flats. I was nodding, and laughing as what they were saying and describing about me was 100% true.

The first date my husband (to be) invited me on was a Brian Ferry concert. I said that would be ok, but asked ‘who is Brian Ferry?! I was too dumb to know this was a date, as it was with another couple, and in a corporate box with a large group of people. In retrospect, he did this as I had stood him up for outings without our children . The car park attendant dutifully insulted me when he commented rather negatively on the outfit I was wearing! This did not offend me or bother me at all as I was happy in my own skin, and loved the clothes I wore, rarely worrying if others didn’t. My DH on the other hand, was horrified!! And then I invited him to Blossom Dearie…

As I have grown older, and have been ‘under the influence’ of my husband and children, I have ventured into music way beyond classical and jazz, and even modern art and dance. Hanging out with much younger university friends has helped open my eyes too. I am much less likely to say when exposed or invited to something new, ‘yes, why not’, rather than ‘no thanks, I wouldn’t like that’. I also now wear clothing that is more modern. So you see, I am getting younger, maybe not my hair which is slowly going grey, or my skin which is definitely getting wrinkled and saggy, but in my outlook and most definitely my fashion sense (I hear some cheering and a few ‘thank goodness’ comments in the background…)!