There was a time when I really wanted to be a grownup, but that was some two decades ago. After I entered my 30s, the idea that I was ageing suddenly sunk in. I compared my old photos with my then-recent ones and realized that a decade had gone by while I was busy finishing college, working full-time, getting married and becoming a parent.
When I look at myself in the mirror, I see a mature face -- I see blooming white hair here and there on my head. No matter how much we talk about graceful ageing, the idea of witnessing one's hair turn gray can actually be depressing.
My hairline receded a good half-inch in the last 10 years. I can foresee it receding by another couple of inches in the next few decades, permitting I live another few decades. My thick hair is thinning with age. Every time I make a ponytail, I can feel the reduced volume.
I often check in the mirror if I am developing laugh lines, a term that I was not aware of even a year ago. You see my vocabulary is getting richer as I am getting older! I took time to educate myself in names of costly medical procedures that help keep a person's age hidden from the public eye. Although I have no intention of getting such treatments in the short or long-run, but being informed always helps.
I was reading that a person's eyes are the first to show signs of age. A person develops under-eye wrinkles and dark circles, crow's feet on the sides, sagging skin and puffiness. I got myself a vitamin E eye cream, which is supposed to reduce the appearance of fine lines, puffiness and dark circles around the eye area. Ten years ago, I was not aware of the existence of eye creams, let alone thinking of getting one for personal use. I don't know how much these creams work but I got myself a tube while window-shopping one day. Like most people, I want to look young for as long as I can.
I have cut down on fat and increased portions of fruits, vegetables, nuts and other nutritious foods in my daily diet to begin a fight against age-related health problems. After all, you are what you eat.
After I learned that sun exposure is largely responsible for visible ageing, I started applying sunblock religiously before going outdoors. A tube of sunscreen lotion is now an essential item for me -- I may forget my sunglasses but never my sunblock! Some people do go to great lengths to look young. Crazy as it may sound, but I see nothing wrong with looking young and living healthy.
But the problem is nothing can keep a person young forever. One may strive to slow one's ageing process but cannot stop it once and for all. I must therefore sooner or later learn to embrace my age.
Date of publication: June 17, 2014
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