Hair, Nails, Skin, Teeth and other body parts

I think I must have mentioned previously that I have no 'older' adults in my near family to consult with about aging and how to handle it, let alone what I might expect. Now, as I understand it the whole thing can be different between one family and another due to genetics. Therefore I am at a loss.

In a constant state of surprise I am miffed that I get no warning about the upcoming changes and/or the strange anomalies that come upon me suddenly. I hear myself say "are you kidding me!" with too much regularity.

Due to medications I am required to ingest these days I have a list of side effects to contend with as well as the daily irksomeness of the aging process. I am cold nearly all the time in spite of the fact that I turn up the heat and dress in layers (upon layers). So my skin rarely sees the light of the sun any more.

I am naturally olive complected but that's hard to detect these days. So, my solution is to use a self-tanning lotion to try and bring some color back to my arms and legs.

Then I use a a whole lot of regular lotion to fight the ongoing issue of dryness some of which is also caused by medications.

Then there is my hair. I LOVE MY HAIR. I have long hair. And due to this aging thing my hair is no longer black or dark brown it is turning white, which I love. So my hair is a striped white and black and that makes part of it gray as those colors mix and that I do not like. Gray just does not appeal to me. I haven't figured out how to keep the hairs from mixing with each other. LOL. I know. But I am serious.

I am buying so many products now it surprises even me. Special mouthwash, special toothpaste, special toothbrushes on top of special deodorants and what not. Good grief! I have to stand back and ask myself if all this is really necessary and my answer is swift and decisive: YES it is.

Now, if this is sounding like a big old whiny baby fest, it's really not. I am grateful that I am in a position to be able to recognize these things and to be able to do something about them. It's my reality now to try and understand (not necessarily accept) that I am not just getting older but that I am also aging. It's a strange notion.