Aged

Not so long ago I noticed that the skin on my inner arms was dry.  I started slathering myself with all sorts of creams but to no avail.  Then the skin on my legs began to shrivel.  Not realizing that these skin conditions were subtle hints I again went the way of sorbolene, vaseline and in fact any kind of lene I could find.  I must state that I do not get subtle hints.  Therefore it did not cross my mind that my skin was ageing.  Actually it had aged.  It had aged while I was busy doing all sorts of wondrous things, like sleeping in, reading, writing, doing courses, gaining a degree and so on and etcetera.  

The worst thing about ageing is that one gets huge brown marks on the face and arms.  I had not really noticed the marks on my face until I bought a magnifying mirror.  All the better to pluck facial hair my dear.  I was absolutely horrified at the huge brown spots on my right cheek.  I did manage to calm myself down a little when I remembered that it was a magnifying mirror.  However, they were age spots.  I was in a quandary because the only people I knew with age spots were older people.  You know people in their sixties.  Then I realized I am in my sixties.

The worst thing was that I found great crater lines on my cheeks.  Lines on my face, I don't think so!  At first I blamed seeing the lines on the mirror but even with an ordinary mirror the old person lines were still there. While I would love to have a nice smile like Jennifer Hawkins I see that I look as cheerful as the Queen on a bad day.  No wonder one of my friends from school calls me grumpy.

I guess before the crepey skin, brown spots and lines there was some hint of extreme maturity.  My hair slowly became salt and pepper and then silver.  I don't mind about that.  I think silver hair looks distinguished.  Some of my friends started turning grey when they were still in their twenties so a bit a grey was not a  problem.

At last I have come to the conclusion that I am not only 'extremely mature' but also 'pre-senile.'  I don't feel older.  I feel like a nineteen year old but just a bit creaky.  I may be an arrested adolescent.  I always used to say, when I grow up and come to think of it I say that now.  When I grow up in a few years time I may feel that I am aged but at the moment I feel positively juvenile.  What I see in the mirror is not what I feel on the inside. The package is worn but the contents are pristine.