| The last of the level-headed?  Christmas is coming and the stress levels are inevitably
rising. They used to begin in June. After giving myself six months off the hook, I started
worrying about what to give and how to organise for the following December just around the
time when the days started getting shorter.
That was
when the children were young, and I had to worry about filling stockings, ordering the
desired toy or game, and even, one crazy year, making three large rag dolls. (They were a great success, and my children still
treasure them.)
Now, I only
start worrying from November 25th, maybe because we’ve switched to giving a
cheque/buying from catalogues/ordering on the internet.
Actually though, I put it down mainly to maturity. Life gets easier with age. Surveys show that contentment
dips for those in their thirties and forties, and then begins to rise again in the
fifties, till it reaches a contentment peak at 70.
 A report entitled
‘Life Beyond Fifty’, conducted by Seven Seas, the makers of vitamins and
nutrients, found that age brings more self-confidence and happiness, less stress and
worry. Out of 800 interviews of men and women aged
50-70 plus, a third also mentioned financial stability and 25% newfound freedom.
So far, so
predictable. But the aspect that intrigued me
was this: Almost everybody - 96% - considered themselves just as attractive to
the opposite sex as ever, and a third thought that their maturity and worldly-wise outlook
increased this attraction.
This is
good news, though possibly self-deluding. Psychologist
Dr David Lewis, who conducted the research, says that there is so much pressure from
society to look eternally young, that cosmetic surgery may well be the norm for the
future.
 Maybe we are the last generation to accept getting older
naturally, the last of the level-headed 50-plus age group who realise that looking younger
is not the secret to happiness. On the other
hand, I know one person who has asked for a facelift for Christmas. I shall probably envy the finished result, but would be
feeling very stressed indeed at the prospect for myself. How many of us I wonder can
relate to `The Purple Hat` written below:
The purple hat
Beautiful Women;
Age 3: She looks at herself and sees a Queen.
Age 8: She looks at herself and sees Cinderella.
Age 15: She looks at herself and sees an Ugly Sister
("Mom, I can't go to school looking like this!")
Age 20: She looks at herself and sees "too fat/too
thin, too short/ too tall, too straight/too curly" but decides she's going out
anyway.
Age 30: She looks at herself and sees "too fat/too
thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly" - but decides she doesn't
have time to fix it, so she's going out anyway.
Age 40: She looks at herself and sees "too fat/too
thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly"- but says, "At least, I am
clean", and goes out anyway.
Age 50: She looks at herself and says "I am" -
and goes wherever she wants to go.
Age 60: She looks at herself and reminds herself of all
the people who can't even see themselves in the mirror anymore. Goes out and conquers the
world.
Age 70: She looks at herself and sees wisdom, laughter and
ability, goes out and enjoys life.
Age 80: Doesn't bother to look. Just puts on a purple hat
and goes out to have fun with the world.
Maybe we should all grab that purple hat earlier ---????
By an unknown author..
Laterlife.com wishes you a very happy, level-headed
Christmas and many more to come. |
Talkback is a regular
feature in laterlife.com run by journalist and author Helen Franks. 
