Turns Out, You Can’t Please Them All

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An update from the other side. Not too long ago, I received an irritated email in response to one of my website blogs from a woman who felt that all my “talk about aging” was discriminatory towards age.

Category

Date

19/10/2024

Length

3 min read

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Because I address it so consciously, all the time, and therefore place negative attention on aging.

HUH? I thought for a minute. Being accused of ageism was a first for me. What bothered me most about the emotion that random email triggered in me was that I suddenly started doubting my professionalism, mission, and message. Was it not clear that the topic of “The Art of Aging Unapologetically” is my work, my mission to inspire women, both older and younger, to just live?

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"Turns out, you can’t please them all."

That age doesn’t matter because, let’s face it, we get a little bit older every day, every minute, and every second. And we should all enjoy it, forget about the numbers, and most importantly, do what we love and not listen to a youth-obsessed society. I think I cannot talk about it ENOUGH, and women, young and old, should be reminded daily that they are not defined by their age or looks.

And in my case, secretly hope that, as I approach 50, I can still reach that youth-obsessed crowd with my “ranting about aging,” according to that one woman with an email.

By now, I’m sure that quite a few women are happy with my message. And funny enough, six years ago when I started AndBloom, I never would have thought that I’d (mostly) just shrug in total indifference.

Turns out, you can’t please them all.

Having a mission to Age Unapologetically is something powerful and meaningful, to me. For now, I’m fully enjoying every day, embracing my journey, and NO, it’s not always easy, but there’s nothing else to do but work toward complete acceptance. In my opinion.

Recently, I joked during a panel discussion that most mornings I’m startled by the reflection I see in the little mirror next to my toilet. The first thing I do when I wake up is go to the bathroom, and I’m often shocked—who is that? This started about 10 years ago, when I stopped recognizing myself in the morning, and every year that sense of disconnection with myself grows stronger. Because in my head, I think I’m still about 38. Luckily, after a shower, I start to recognize myself again, and about an hour later, I’m back to being Dee as I know her. But still, something essential has changed since I turned 40.

"I’m considering replacing the mirror in my bathroom with a painting instead."

I used to think that aging wasn’t something that would happen to me. Familiar? But it does happen, and it’s something you have no control over. It happens all on its own, and there’s no stopping it. I still find it a strange phenomenon, and that’s why I think it’s important to share. Aging is completely normal, it’s part of life, and you can make it as enjoyable as you want.

The woman who sent me that email has since unfollowed me—on all platforms, and she explicitly mentioned it. So, she’s probably no longer reading my blog ‘brain farts.’ Too bad, because I’d love to remind her again to age unapologetically.

Ps; I’m considering replacing the mirror in my bathroom with a painting instead.