Vinegar in the Shower

I've reached that point in life where I never thought I'd be.....as old as I am.

This morning I woke up early....for no other reason than I was excited to clean my bathroom. My son recently took time on his day off to come and paint my bathroom ceiling, .which could only be described as prison shower gross....not that I've seen one.  I'm just saying.  That clean white slate of a ceiling inspired me to think..."Wonder if the rest of the bathroom could look that good?".  And thus, my plan was hatched and my Saturday morning agenda was set.  I researched "how to get soap scum off the shower door" on the internet and climbed into the shower with nothing but a bowl of white vinegar, a sponge and the suit I was wearing on my first birthday.  And I sang as I worked.

Last night, I drove into the Wal-Mart parking lot with my 13 year old daughter to get lavender scented bleach.  At the entrance, we saw a fundraiser group serving up hamburgers and hot dogs and bought ourselves a "combo".  We took them and sat on a bench together and ate that health food with gusto.  We smelled candles until we staggered from the scents and bought a People magazine to do the crossword puzzle.   It was a Friday night.  And I enjoyed it.  And it was good.

This age thing is a chameleon that slips up on you.   Things shift.  Your eyesight starts to change, and yet you see some things clearer.  You have less answers but a larger perspective.  You don't necessarily seek out excitement but you still have dreams and ideas that excite you.  You take joy in the simple things but aren't simple minded.  Your feet hurt more at the end of the day but you savor the steps you took.  You look back more often, just for a glimpse of what was, and in the process you sometimes see things you'd have done differently if you'd had a clue.

I recently described to my older daughter the feeling I had as I metamorphisized; I know it's not a word, but it's my blog and I like it; of silently, almost imperceptibly having stepped across an invisible chasm at some point.  I turn around to those younger than I and I want to reach out and grab them by their youthful jowls and say..."Hey!  Pay attention!  Live life!  Live it well!  Gusto it up!  Learn to laugh at yourself; to forgive yourself so you can forgive others; to not stand as long in front of a mirror, unless you're drawing pictures in the steam,  but rather look into the face of your Father, to read more, sing stupid songs all loud and obnoxious, do something for someone shy and quiet who feels invisible, loose the "cool" meter......it changes faster than you'll be able to keep up with anyway.

And most of all, don't discount those older than you who you mistakenly assume you are smarter than or hipper than or are tempted to think obsolete just for being around longer.  We may be standing naked in the shower with a bowl full of vinegar and a sponge but we got something to say!