So we were talking...

The other night at BUNKO, us women folk were sitting around playing, sharing some wine and a topic of conversation came up.  Now mind you, I'm probably the "young" one of the group and my friends are all in their 40's.  We all have Elementary school age children and are Stay at Home Mom's.; we all started out with careers.   There was a time when we did spend a lot of time, and money primping ourselves up.   Of course, that was long gone when the second, or third child came along.  Now, as I wrote before, we are all lucky to make it out of the house with our teeth brushed.  We seriously are at the point when we comment on someone's hair, thinking they just got it done, when really, they just washed it and brushed it..may even took a blowdryer to it.  SO the question is, when do we stop spending money dying our hair, shelling out dough for makeup we hardly wear and just be comfortable with who we are and age the way God intended us to.   A few of us even have husbands that have already said they would fork out the money for any kind of "job" we requested to partake our body in.  The generation before us started the Womens Liberation movement, and yet it's that generation we see trying to stay young...for the most part, not all of y'all out there.  It could be that this is a conversation that EVERY generation has around this time.  We don't know.  Is it because my generation embraced the Women's Liberation movement, began with a career, then later in life settled down and had a family.  Now we are women in our late 30's early 40's with young children and minivans while the generation before us were basically booting out the kids about this same time.  Now I'm not saying "yeah" to totally letting ourselves go, but why is such a bad thing to let nature take it's course.  Why is it that there seems to be such an emphasis on trying to stay looking young when it's noticeably obvious that one is getting older?  What is wrong with letting one's hair take it's natural course, wearing makeup when needed and not having to fight to get into those size two jeans that were so good BEFORE the children helped develop ones body into a more womanly form.  I've dyed my hair for over 20 years and I finally stopped after my third baby.  You know what, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I actually like my natural color..now that I know what it is.  There is gray in it, but I will be 37 soon. I should have gray in it.  As for makeup, I try to put a little on when I can, but I take care of my skin and I like to let that show along with the wrinkles.  As for those size 2 jeans..I threw those out after Mikey, and just now threw out the size four..now I'm a size 6 and I'm thankful for that.  I could go and spend precious time in the gym and yes, I would get back down to a pre baby body (though never the exact same), but I had children for a reason, and my time is valuable with them.  Now I'm not saying totally become a couch potato, I do walk, but it's always with a stroller in front of me and a promise of a park at the end.  So I'm not getting any skinner, but I'm not getting any fatter either.  I mean, parts of the body are supposed to be not defying gravity anymore....that's what Victoria Secrets' is for.  The group of women I was with all came to the same agreement.  I could be way off base here, but it's only a thought.  In the end, it's all a woman's personal preference and who we are.  I have friends and family on both sides of the conversation.  I remember trying to get my Aunt to at least wear makeup to a reunion and my cousins wife and I trying to 'doll" her up.   Truth is, she's pretty the way she is.  She is happy with who she is.  I think that's the most important thing to remember.  No matter if one "grows old gracefully" or continues to "primp", as long if it's what makes one happy and is done for themselves and no one else.   We all need to feel comfortable in our own skins.
Now next month, I get bored again and get my hair colored blond...who knows.  But for now, I'm going too see how this fits on me.  In the end, I will always be a country girl and accept what the Good Lord as given me.  Oh, the consensus the other night was "grow old gracefully." We shall see.....