Thank you for the welcome

Hi Zebra...thanks for your response I thought I was the only one feeling like that. Like you said nothing we can do about it it is unavoidable. But I do have to say that I liked my 40s so make the best out of them and enjoy them.

hi misdeb... But I do know what you mean running out of money. At this stage of my live I should not have to worry about money and security but the way this economy is God help us all. So easy for Oprah and friends to say how they enjoy there mid lives they do not have the financial worries as us ordinary folks have. We do not have the luxury's to give ourselves a Spa Vacation or a Legion Ball . Nor do we we have a Dr Oz we can turn to with our health concerns. You to hang in there misdeb

I"am having a hard time dealing with the aging thing as well, because I look into the mirror and I want to see someone I use to see in my twenties, and she's not there. For the most part I still have a youthful face, but the body is gone, although I wok at it every day, and am getting stronger in my convictions to take these forty pounds off. It's doable. I know what you mean about celebrities, Oprah included. At this stage of our lives we should not have to worry about money. They don't, and they don't know what it is like to be this age, and want to have nice things, like going to a spa and taking care of ourselves and our beauty. I'm not complaining, but they need to get real! One thing that I try to do on a regular basis is this. Surround yourself with good people. You will know who they are. They will give off a certain energy to you, and you will want to be in their company, and you will feel love. Have you ever read The Velveteen Rabbit? It tells the story of a young boy's love for a stuffed animal, that to him was"real". It was "real', and in the rabbit's world, he felt alive and "real" because he was "loved". I have felt very "taken for granted" by my family, and so being around other people, and friends, I feel "loved". After a while, the velveteen rabbit did not mind that his hair was falling out, that he looked older, because he had experienced what it was like to be "real', to be loved. So start by loving yourself again. What are the things, say, in your twenties, that made you happy? Marianne Williamson spoke on the show about the fifties, and how in our fifties, we seem to like and enjoy the things in our twenties that made us so happy. I can relate!!!! I find myself doing things now that I did in my twenties that bring me happiness. For example, returning to school, doing a lot of recreational reading, meeting up with friends at a coffeehouse , buying a cd now and then to listen to music, riding my bike now and then,playing the guitar, doodling with , of al things, crayons- and walking. Get your endorphins up! Walk, walk , walk. You will feel better about yourself. Surround yourself with good energy, and believe in yourself, that you are worthy, and a beautiful person! lol, RozB

Thank-You Buni! Your reply was beautiful. I forgot to say all those things. Going out of your way, a random act of kindness, paying it forward- it might all just sound like words, but once you get into the swing of doing something for someone else every single day, -it brings much happiness into your life. It makes sense. Don't stay cooped up in the house, especially since the warmer weather is coming (I live in Virginia), get out ! Even sitting on a park bench and starting up a conversation with a stranger can make a difference. It has always helped me. Buni B. , I loved what you had to say, Please try to stay in touch! Roz B.

Thank you so much for your response. I work in long term healthcare, so I am working with the elderly everday, in a non institutional setting, in their home. I do see its possible to have a long & productive life. Sometimes I am so busy at work I don't get the chance to think about getting older, it happens more toward the evening when I get home. I have plenty of things to do here. I have a 5 yr old & he keeps me busy. I guess what it is is that I am at a place right now in my life that I truly love & embrace (to have & be part of a family) that I just do not want it to emd, EVER. As I experience new things with my son, that I haven't experienced in many years, it makes me sad to know that someday I will not experience these things anymore. Hard to tell but I am really happy right now & this getting older stuff just isn't working for me & I can't stop it.