I think about the subject of getting older a lot. Aging is really interesting to me -- how we change and how we adapt to that change. Everyone seems to be different as far as how they take it.
When I was younger, I thought I would really hate getting older. I thought getting wrinkles, and possibly not being thought of as some physically perfect little nymphette anymore, would be the end of the world, and I don't really know why. It's not as if I ever actually liked the attention, or even thought of myself as a natural beauty. I always saw myself as having a great sense of style, but when it came to just... my natural features and figure, I've never actually liked any of it. I've always thought of myself as beautiful less because of what I had, and more because of what I could make of it if I tried.
I don't know what difference I ever thought a few wrinkles, or a little sag here or there, would really make as far as that was concerned. After all, you can get by on a great sense of style when you're 80 just as well as you can when you're 20. I guess I just didn't know any better than to just listen to what my elders and betters thought on the subject at the time -- that I was immeasurably lucky to still be so young and that it would suck balls to get older.
Now that I'm in my 30's though? I'm finding that the older I get, the less my ego is really wrapped up in how I look and the more I can appreciate the ways in which my age is starting to show. I won't go so far as to say that I no longer care how I look. However, I will say that my ideas of what's beautiful and why have changed a lot over the years.
I will also say that looks in general are nowhere near the top of my priority list anymore, and I feel that's really opened up my ability to accept and enjoy the aging process. I like that the older I get, the more seriously people take me, and I love that I actually am finally starting to get where I have some life experience to look back on. I'm excited about who I am and who I'm becoming. To be honest, I wouldn't have my 20's back for all the tea in China.
So I'm curious. How do all of you feel about getting older, especially when it comes to looking your age? If you're under 30, is it something you're afraid of? If you're over 30, is it something you find you're enjoying so far? And whatever your age, and however you feel, where do you think your attitude comes from? Tell me all about it.
Show us something that always makes you laugh.
What's the best pick up line you've ever heard?
How do you like your eggs in the morning...scrambled or fertilized?
Show us your favorite after school/work activity.
snuggling & being silly with my main squeeze
Show us a funny bumper sticker.
i *so* wanted to buy this from cafepress to put on my car but the boyfriend told me that cops may be more likely to pull me over with it. i think he's being paranoid but i guess its better to be safe then sorry.
My reaction to McCain's VP selection? Aside from Poor Pawlenty, betcha wish you had a vagina right about now and Way to pander there, McCrotchety, my first thought was someone gonna get that old onery bastard wound up and we're gonna wind up with a real live version of this:
Knowing beforehand that you wouldn't fail, what would you attempt to do?
I really like this question, so I decided to sit here and try to think of a good answer for it, but I can't. If you've been reading me a while, you know that pretty much the one thing I truly consider myself to be afraid of is failure, yet although I can think of plenty of instances where I was afraid I would fail at something because it was just that important to me, I can't actually recall a time when fear of failure actually stopped me from eventually trying to do it anyway. It may take me a while to build up the nerve, but I always try sooner or later.
Maybe I really am the stubborn ass my birth chart says I am, or maybe my over-sized ego really does inwardly insist that I'm entitled to absolutely anything in life that I want, so long as I'm willing to earn it. All I know is that whatever the reason, I've at least attempted to make every dream I've ever had into a reality at some point in my lifetime, and that even where things didn't work out as planned, I have yet to actually give up trying altogether.
I'm sure it probably helps that I have a real listening problem when it comes to criticism from other people. I may consider it if it comes from someone that actually knows what they're talking about, but other people's criticism has never lowered my own opinion of myself or stopped me from trying to achieve goals that are important to me. I never have, and never will, let anyone or anything stand in the way of being the person I want to be, so the day I actually learn to take "no" for an answer is pretty much the day I die.
The older I get, the more I think failure is a relative term. It probably means something different to everyone, but after giving it some thought, this is what it really means to me. In my opinion, the only true failure is in either not trying at all, or in giving up. There's always another avenue to try or another option yet to consider, so when it really matters -- at least if you subscribe to the Shannon Hilson School of Thought -- failure really is optional.
Last night I observed history.
past weekly britney posts
i'm re-posting one of my favorite britney moments in honor of michael jackson's 50th birthday today! i know it's not technically a new post but its one of my favorites from this series. hope you enjoy it the second time around!
i had totally forgotten about this performance until i stumbled across it. not only is britney on the same stage as the king of pop...but she's helping to sing my favorite michael jackson song of all time! this is pop history magic!!!
i have to say that britney gave a pretty amazing performance up there. considering that she is on the same stage as freakin michael jackson, she did a good job of holding her own up there yet also holding back enough and letting michael take center stage. and she definitely plays the coy female role well.
it's remarkable to me that i haven't compared my love for michael jackson and britney spears before. they are both amazing entertainers, they both gained celebrity at a young age and they are both tragic figures of the celeb world. and yet, they both have the resilience to keep on keeping on and have the determination to propel their careers forward, no matter what the cost is to their personal and professional lives. i absolutely cannot wait for michael jackson's comeback, along with brit's comeback. m.j.'s is a long time coming though and i pray to the gods that he will succeed. ever since high school, i made a little goal for myself that i would see madonna and michael jackson in concert before i die....well, i got to see madonna so that means that i GOTTA see m.j. soon!
they also are similar because they both have the ability to completely win my heart over. no matter what britney does - i still got love for her. everyone always asks me, "how can you STILL like britney?" i could offer you a million and one reasons why but the truth is, i don't really know. i just know that i love her and i think she's one of the best entertainers of my generation. same goes for michael jackson...no matter how many times he has to go to court or all the bizarre stories i hear about him...i still got love for him. he's one of the best singers, if not the best dancer, EVER. his music is classic and i would not want to live without it.
there's a dave chappelle skit where he's put on the witness stand at michael jackson's trial and it pretty much sums up my feelings on michael...
Prosecuter: So you don't think Michael Jackson is guilty?Dave Chappelle: No, man. He made "Thriller".
[pause]
Dave Chappelle: Thriller
