Growing Older

[Ellen2d]

I'm 64, I'm in better shape than I was 10 years ago (a trip to the ER 5 years ago helped that along). I certainly don't feel old and I stay active. Yes, I do run out of energy faster than I used to but I can still out work younger people than me. I'm going to build a house this year and I'll be doing quite a bit of the work though not as much as I did when I built the last one 25 years ago. Age is part mental and part physical. I've been pretty lucky on the physical side as you can only do so much before genetics take over. Unfortunately the area I'm building my house in will be far less conducive to going out dressed but then I haven't done that in quite a while.

[sherib]

Getting old is a part of life we cannot change, but the worst problem for me is arthritis. Arthritis make it very hard to pull up the girdle and put on the nylons. And walking in the 4" heels is another story. lol

[tammie]

Concerning the human condition that many people develop called TMB , according to Socrates the only cure for that disease is MORT.

The disease is "too many birthdays" , indeed lets not take the cure too soon ladies

[Sarah Doepner]

I'll be celebrating my 55th birthday for the 11th time this year and except for the arthritis, I'm doing okay. There are many more old women than there are old men, so I'm hoping that my time emulating them will add a few more years to my life span. I really don't have any reason to try and impress anyone with my stunning beauty (laughing is appropriate here), so without unrealistic expectations at play, I may as well try to make them feel at ease. I'm bigger around the middle than I used to be and can't seem to lose the weight as easily as I used to, but my skin is still capable of taking on makeup and my wig hasn't gone gray, so I'm comfortable and looking forward to many more trips around the sun, pretty or not.

[Beverley Sims]

Er!

Try and grow old gracefully?

I try to accept it gracefully, easy to say but even I have to find workarounds for any wrinkles and defects that appear.

Dress age appropriate?

That's a laugh.

Oh well, just better get along with it and shop in the miss teens section till it all wears off.

[Stephanie47]

Growing older use to be just a numerical issue. Yep, another birthday has passed. In years gone bye that really did not mean much. Sure, girls relished at the thought of being sweet sixteen. I waited for eighteen so I could drink beer legally! Along the way there were increasingly attacks on the body. Fortunately, the mind has stayed sharp. I guess I'm still in decent shape. When I read the obituaries in the newspaper everyday I see too many people younger than I. Yikes!

I try to pass on to my kids the wisdom (I hope it's wisdom) of being able to retire when YOU want to: Not when the government feels you should retire. Delay gratification! Don't waste money on things you really do not need. Do you really need a 3,300 square foot home, when 1,800 is sufficient? Do you need a $45K car when $25K does the job? I think I have reached them. Dad is right...sometimes! I try to pass on some tidbits about living a clean life and not gaining a lot of weight that ultimately will kill you. Sometimes I think it was a blessing to be a cross dresser, who still has images of June Cleaver and other slim women. Yep, wanting to wear dresses that were not bought at "tent city" was always a goal. My physical therapist told me last time we met that I was still in really good shape. When I walk the halls of the clinic and hospital I visit I see way too many young guys, and gals, who have ignored good advice and are paying for it.

I try to impart some wisdom I received from my grandparents as to the proper way to live a life. I'm only 67, so I have a long way to go. I hope the genes of my grandparents have been passed down to me. The earliest one expired was 82. The oldest was 103.

Of course, everyone on this site wonders as they age how aging will affect the needs or desires to cross dress. As a retiree with a working wife I have the opportunity to let Stephanie come out and play. When my wife retires in five years? Yes, that's a part of the aging process of a cross dresser who is aging out. So, there are still hurdles in life.