Thank you for articulating what’s in my brain and what’s reflected. This year 54, has been hard to recognize myself and feel grateful for being allowed to age.
I don’t feel alone I feel all your words. I look in the mirror and say who the hell is that ! But I do have nice grey hair lol Enjoyed your writing thankyou
"I am no longer the young or middle-aged woman looking at older women. I am the older woman." Yep. That is me, too. And I've actually been the older woman for awhile now! Love this terrific piece. Thank you for writing it.
Thank you,Jody, for describing my experience over the last few years and especially as I turn 61 this month, April. This sense of not recognizing myself in random mirrors so surprising yet I’m slowly settling into that woman is me.
Have you seen Emma Thompson’s film the Winter Guest - I knew ageing would arrive and am now living the mother’s surprise of not knowing how and when it happened that my face and body has aged since I experience myself so much younger.
Your talk with friends is inspiring me to begin sharing with my closest friend,also, 60 rather than withdraw and hide all the emotions of this incredible journey. 🙏🏻✨
Menopause. It's the elephant in the room . Having turned 50, and suddenly this new body...I'm not enjoying nor recognising...it's quiet unreal havjng prided myself in keeping fit and in tune for my age now suddenly feel a frump. I hqve no children so have missed the boat. Have suffered w anxiety and depression w all this..and have a health back ground so should know better. There's not education on this stuff, and job losses increase, divorce rates increase etc etc..even suicide rates increase..I have a friend we Lost to this. It was an added straw, like sinead oconner. Anyway where I was going with this. Is I barely recognise this body I am in..and I have to somehow embrace it. Also accepting I won't have children...so the exclusion that goes with that and the isolation and lack of care as one ages. You look wonderful b t.w..wise and crone like and loving. Truly. May we embrace our new bodies and support one another x
Turning 63 in June, and beginning to notice the grey hairs appearing at a ridiculously fast rate on a daily basis. I no longer wear make up and have a smile on my face when I say I can wear the same clothes for days at a time as long as they have no dinner medals on them. I have to say my sixties are turning out much better than any other decade of my life. I trained as a nurse at the Westmorland County, many happy years in Kendal, great pubs then fish and chips at Hanrattys at the end of the night before bouncing off every wall up the hill to the nurses home.
Give it 10 years… the woman in mirror will be your sister (no one could believe you were related to when young); your Nana (not even close looking the 1st 65 years)… so do wait. The fun part is just beginning- lol 😆!
Love this so much. I just turned 59 and at this late date am making peace with a lot of my demons — working with a therapist. In some ways it has felt too late and in others perfectly on time. I was thinking this morning of my 9 year old self who delighted in being mistaken for a boy as I climbed fences and trees. Definitely a body. As I read your piece, I thought of a portrait exercise (you don’t have to be an artist) of sitting facing another person for a minute and a half. Both participants draw the other’s face without looking at their paper. That’s really looking at another face for an entire 90 seconds. Engaging with another person’s humanity in a very vulnerable way — literally seeing and being seen. I would love to do this with a group of us newly older women.
It's a shock. I can't believe the face staring back at me. i'm 75 years old but inside I'm 18. I can't reconcile being invisible because I feel more alive and present than I did when i was young. A writing student of mine gave me a wonderful book, "Age is a Feeling." I recommend it. I don't want to become another woman chasing youth with botox and surgery. I'm struggling to embrace myself, my wisdom and the extraordinary journey I've been on all these decades. I want to believe the best years are ahead. By losing my external youth and beauty, it's forced me to appreciate myself in a different and more meaningful way.
Thank you Jody. I recently moved to substack on a hunch that I might find eldership here and women discussing the things you are. I am 48 and in the last few years have felt some of these shifts. It feels good to know there are women like you on the path ahead.
"I am no longer the young or middle-aged woman looking at older women. I am the older woman." This reminds me of when I went to see LES MISERABLES the movie in 2012 and realized "I am no longer Eponine, I am Fantine." And now I'm realizing, "I AM THE INNKEEPERS WIFE!"
This is so beautiful and speaks to me as I go through a phase where I feel like my age is showing on my face faster and faster as my forties fly by. Even today, I looked in the mirror and saw an older woman and I don't know who she is. I still feel 16 inside.
I had to check this out, the title so close to a piece I recently wrote, “Who in the World is that in the Mirror?” I hope you drop by my site and check it out- enjoyed your honest and insightful piece-glad I read it.
Funnily enough, I just started pilates/reformer classes myself. Covid put a four-year pause on gym/dance classes for me, and thus it's been a while since I have faced a full-length mirror for long periods of time. I decided it was time to add in some serious training again and, frankly, to get a sense of what I now look like. It has been an adjustment!
Thank you for articulating what’s in my brain and what’s reflected. This year 54, has been hard to recognize myself and feel grateful for being allowed to age.
I don’t feel alone I feel all your words. I look in the mirror and say who the hell is that ! But I do have nice grey hair lol Enjoyed your writing thankyou
"I am no longer the young or middle-aged woman looking at older women. I am the older woman." Yep. That is me, too. And I've actually been the older woman for awhile now! Love this terrific piece. Thank you for writing it.
Thank you,Jody, for describing my experience over the last few years and especially as I turn 61 this month, April. This sense of not recognizing myself in random mirrors so surprising yet I’m slowly settling into that woman is me.
Have you seen Emma Thompson’s film the Winter Guest - I knew ageing would arrive and am now living the mother’s surprise of not knowing how and when it happened that my face and body has aged since I experience myself so much younger.
Your talk with friends is inspiring me to begin sharing with my closest friend,also, 60 rather than withdraw and hide all the emotions of this incredible journey. 🙏🏻✨
Menopause. It's the elephant in the room . Having turned 50, and suddenly this new body...I'm not enjoying nor recognising...it's quiet unreal havjng prided myself in keeping fit and in tune for my age now suddenly feel a frump. I hqve no children so have missed the boat. Have suffered w anxiety and depression w all this..and have a health back ground so should know better. There's not education on this stuff, and job losses increase, divorce rates increase etc etc..even suicide rates increase..I have a friend we Lost to this. It was an added straw, like sinead oconner. Anyway where I was going with this. Is I barely recognise this body I am in..and I have to somehow embrace it. Also accepting I won't have children...so the exclusion that goes with that and the isolation and lack of care as one ages. You look wonderful b t.w..wise and crone like and loving. Truly. May we embrace our new bodies and support one another x
Turning 63 in June, and beginning to notice the grey hairs appearing at a ridiculously fast rate on a daily basis. I no longer wear make up and have a smile on my face when I say I can wear the same clothes for days at a time as long as they have no dinner medals on them. I have to say my sixties are turning out much better than any other decade of my life. I trained as a nurse at the Westmorland County, many happy years in Kendal, great pubs then fish and chips at Hanrattys at the end of the night before bouncing off every wall up the hill to the nurses home.
Give it 10 years… the woman in mirror will be your sister (no one could believe you were related to when young); your Nana (not even close looking the 1st 65 years)… so do wait. The fun part is just beginning- lol 😆!
Love this so much. I just turned 59 and at this late date am making peace with a lot of my demons — working with a therapist. In some ways it has felt too late and in others perfectly on time. I was thinking this morning of my 9 year old self who delighted in being mistaken for a boy as I climbed fences and trees. Definitely a body. As I read your piece, I thought of a portrait exercise (you don’t have to be an artist) of sitting facing another person for a minute and a half. Both participants draw the other’s face without looking at their paper. That’s really looking at another face for an entire 90 seconds. Engaging with another person’s humanity in a very vulnerable way — literally seeing and being seen. I would love to do this with a group of us newly older women.
It's a shock. I can't believe the face staring back at me. i'm 75 years old but inside I'm 18. I can't reconcile being invisible because I feel more alive and present than I did when i was young. A writing student of mine gave me a wonderful book, "Age is a Feeling." I recommend it. I don't want to become another woman chasing youth with botox and surgery. I'm struggling to embrace myself, my wisdom and the extraordinary journey I've been on all these decades. I want to believe the best years are ahead. By losing my external youth and beauty, it's forced me to appreciate myself in a different and more meaningful way.
Thank you!
Thank you Jody. I recently moved to substack on a hunch that I might find eldership here and women discussing the things you are. I am 48 and in the last few years have felt some of these shifts. It feels good to know there are women like you on the path ahead.
"I am no longer the young or middle-aged woman looking at older women. I am the older woman." This reminds me of when I went to see LES MISERABLES the movie in 2012 and realized "I am no longer Eponine, I am Fantine." And now I'm realizing, "I AM THE INNKEEPERS WIFE!"
This is so beautiful and speaks to me as I go through a phase where I feel like my age is showing on my face faster and faster as my forties fly by. Even today, I looked in the mirror and saw an older woman and I don't know who she is. I still feel 16 inside.
I had to check this out, the title so close to a piece I recently wrote, “Who in the World is that in the Mirror?” I hope you drop by my site and check it out- enjoyed your honest and insightful piece-glad I read it.
Thank you Jody 🙏 this was so good to hear, so much experience I can relate to that you have put into rich, delicious words
Funnily enough, I just started pilates/reformer classes myself. Covid put a four-year pause on gym/dance classes for me, and thus it's been a while since I have faced a full-length mirror for long periods of time. I decided it was time to add in some serious training again and, frankly, to get a sense of what I now look like. It has been an adjustment!