Mid-Stride Rant- Get Over Yourself!!!

I am 48 years old…not 18…not 28…not even 38.  With the current female life expectancy in the United States being 81 years of age, I am past the mark of ‘middle-age’. That gives me a certain amount of world and life experience that entitles me to speak with some authority on a variety of topics in my life. The reason I created this blog was to be able to talk about things that matter to me at this stage in my life. In this blog, I talk about how I feel about different issues related to my life, family, spirituality, the world, my neighborhood, hobbies, interests, etc. I can talk about food, music, books, jewelry, makeup, health and it’s all from the mind and perspective of a middle-aged woman who is entitled to the freedom to express herself. Those assorted ideologies were developed and based on a life lived as a fairly responsible, honest, thoughtful, productive, passionate and compassionate human being. Much of my professional life has been acting as an advocate for and in service to people from all walks of life. To sum that up…I’m a pretty decent broad.

Image source:http://saywalis.blogspot.com/2013/04/friday-quotes-of-being-older.html

I am pretty comfortable in my fleshy, jiggly, stretched out, plus-sized skin in a world which is eternally invested in having women regain the bodies they had at age 12 and remain that way, permanently. I am aware that I am developing wrinkles and other character lines. I have more gray hair every day and despite the recommendation from the young lady at the nail salon yesterday-NO, I will not dye the gray out of my hair anymore. I used to be worried that the world would not tolerate my presence because I looked ‘old’. I love my gray hair and even more, I love the money I save not frequently covering my roots so you in society don’t have to feel insecure about getting older by looking at me. I’m perfectly okay with that…getting older, I mean. I am okay with myself…inside and out. I do what I do, don’t try to hurt anyone and have a pretty good life. I enjoy my journey on my path and I am okay with the ‘rules of my road’. But enough about me…..let me tell you a little something about YOU…

You are perfectly free to not agree with my viewpoints, beliefs, lifestyle, etc. You don’t have to shop where I do, go where I go and you can eat healthier than me (many people do). You can be more physically fit and more spiritually knowledgeable on many subjects. You can have a dozen degrees from covens or colleges. You may be a world renowned author with a dozen or more books to your credit. You may have beautiful art that is hanging in galleries around the world. You may regularly travel across the astral planes and have touched the higher levels of existence.  You many have financial successes and great wealth and fame. Not of these entitle you to diminish my value as a human being.

Get Over Yourself... No, really, you honestly should. I don’t care who you are-if our relationship is not based the mutually beneficial ground of friendship, love and respect…then the soil is barren and nothing will good will grow. I will not be obedient to your word and certainly will not take your questionable rules for living over my own inner guidance. At my age, I don’t have to consider anyone else’s guidance except my own. I am wise enough to know that I DO need to ask for directions occasionally and it does happen. But the decision is always mine. I’m not in the tremendous mental and emotional rush I used to be in all the time. Where was I trying to go? For what reason was I so frantic? Honestly now I can’t remember but they do say that memory is one of the first things to go...  

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Anyhoo…that is my current rant. If you disagree with me (and I promise you at frequent intervals, you just might!), you have choices for how to deal with it. You can have a respectful discussion and at the end we may still have to agree to disagree. You can try to persuade me to your side (it could happen…). Or, you can take your ball and go home. At no time do you get to talk to me like I’m a lesser being. I’m not omniscient, but I do know that I don’t have to tolerate shitty behavior from anyone. I’m 48 years old, I’m past trying to make people like and ‘accept’ me. If you don’t, fine….believe me, I’ve lived this long without you, I’ll make it…really, I will! If the problem is that you need people to suffer and prostrate themselves at your feet….well, again, ‘Get Over Yourself’ and then just ‘Go Away’. Clearly, I’m not for you. I have it from a very good authority that I am not the sort of woman for you. I’ve never been good at genuflecting. I’m not into false modesty, false flattery, false hope….nope. You know where to find your fan club. There are many poor, insecure souls for you to scoop up into your insincerity net and make them believe that you didn’t just catch them to make a meal of them, they ‘found you’. Not me though...plenty of meat on the bone but I'm just too much for some of you. And that's okay...I'm sure there's a chicken joint down the street.

My job or calling, at this stage in my life, is to counter-act what you do. Didn’t you know? That’s part of the beautiful blessing about growing up and growing older. I will help any of the lost souls I find and remind them how strong, smart, and beautiful they are on their own. Age and experience come with mistakes, which I have learned from in Time. I can share what I have lived through and now know to the potential benefit of others…or not.  But I'm gonna enjoy myself along the way and try to let others know they can too. You’ll figure it out for yourself in time…just as I have and still am. I am a middle-aged woman and I’m very okay with who I am. Can you say the same about yourself?