Turning 48, voracious reading, and a few things I wish someone would have told me…

Aging-I’m now 48…on March 27th, another year clicked into place for me.  This number-48, of all the years in this 4th decade, has had the biggest affect on me.  I love my forties, don’t get me wrong, but now I’m edging towards 50 and I can’t help but feel a little trepidation about it.  In just this last year I’ve noticed changes in my face-subtle ones, but changes no less.  My hair is getting whitish gray in spots and my waist is getting bigger (rats), my joints are achy as hell and I’m feeling just a tad melancholy.  Okay, I hear that fifty is the new forty, but I guess I can’t believe that until I see it.  (In no hurry!)  Christie Brinkley was asked how she keeps her face so young looking (I’m convinced it’s Photoshop) and she was quick to say, “Exfoliate!  I’m always exfoliating my face!”  So, there you have it.  I’m going to go out and get myself some fine grit sandpaper.  Let the exfoliation begin. 🙂

Books-The other day I realized books are one of those things I truly love the most, and I really, really would have a seriously difficult time of it if I had to live without them.  I’m always reading something.  I have been devouring books a lot lately and making frequent trips to the library, too.  Just this month I finished three books and I’m onto my next book.  I think my husband is jealous.  I don’t hold him like I hold a book.  Lol…

Things I wish someone would have told me when I was younger: Okay all you young women reading this…pay attention because I’m giving this advise to you as a gift.  (If you are a guy reading this, pass it on to your young daughters). No one told me these things when I was a young girl-put a high SPF sunblock on your face every day and also put sunblock on your neck and upper chest that is exposed when you wear tops. Also, rub some sunblock into the tops of your hands….religiously.  You won’t regret it.  If you heed these little nudges of wisdom, they may very well save you from having a really jiggly turkey neck when you reach late middle age.  You might also avoid having a sun damaged leather neck.  When you are thinking about how a tan makes you look lovely now, remember that when you reach middle age (and believe me, it gets here faster than you can even imagine), and the elements of your beauty you are taking for grated now begin slipping away, in the course of frantically grasping to get them back, you don’t want to deeply regret all the sun worshipping you did in the past because you now look like an iguana. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 

My blog crush for the week is Advanced Style .  It must be the whole getting older thing, but this young, handsome guy who writes this blog has a thing for older women and he scours the streets of Manhattan looking for interesting, beautiful, stylish old women and he snaps their photos and blogs about them.  Love this guy.  He’s helping me in my uneasiness about saying farewell to youth.  I do want to be a lovely old crone and I will….I will be lovely, you wait and see.  (I’ll blog about it in 10 years.)

A good movie-A dear friend took me to see the new film Jane Eyre this week for a birthday treat.  I read the book and loved it, and I was  so pleasantly surprised to see this film did not disappoint.  It was true to the story line, (in fact, it was almost like the director was inside my head when I was reading it and saw these scenes just as I did!), had beautiful cinematography and Jane was oh-so-plain.  It made me cry at scenes….it was so very touching.  Mr. Rochester was sexy and irresistible,  just like he was in the book.  If you are a Jane Eyre fan, or a lover of Gothic literature this really should be a ‘must see’.  Treat yourself to some overpriced buttered popcorn and soda and settle into a comfy theater seat for a real visual treat.