Life Changing Decisions

So, years went by. I changed and changed and changed and here I am 75 years old. Many of the problems that plagued me previously are no longer problems. My life has settled into a different phase. I am a caregiver for my Mother.

My children are adult and married, all but 1 of 5.  And they all have children. In actual fact I have 14 grandchildren by blood and 3 more by marriage whom I consider my own.  The grand total being 17 shocks people when I tell them. I am proud of all of my 5 children and love them and my grandchildren so much it makes my heart sore (in a good way). They know that I struggled with deciding to come and live with my mother. It has been good for them to see this.

Then there are my dogs, but some of them have reached the end of their lives and died.  New ones arrived, often as unsolicited giftjhkis. I adore them. They give unconditional love. There are no tuitions to worry about or even the necessity of buying Christmas or Birthday presents. Dogs are easy. Lucky for me Mother loves my dogs. So do all of her caregivers.  So they are with me living in my old room at my old house with my "Mommy", The more things change, the more they remain the same.

 In 2001 my hair was cut short after decades of wearing it long. Gradually I cut it more and more. I discovered that it has a natural curl which I did not know when it was so heavy and long. I began cutting it more each year, just a bit. It looked stylishly "with it" and many compliments were paid to me.  However, eventually I broke my ankle and was sort of captive housebound for 3 months. One time my hair dresser actually came and gave me a wash, trim and set at home here at Mother's where I was staying full time because of the ankle. That was when I realized that I could enjoy myself in Washington DC in ways that I could not anywhere else in the world.

Now that I have decided to change my life, it is fitting that I also change my "look".  This new phase of my life demands different actions and different attitudes. My hair will be different as well. Gradually it has been getting longer and longer. Over the summer I decided to let it continue to grow. It will take about 3 years for it to get to be the length that will please me. At my age it is OK if I have long hair, which I will wear 'up' in some fashion. I am not trying to look like a young girl, or even a middle aged woman. My hair is one of my best features and so being grateful for it, allows me to let it grow. My plan is to be the best I can be.  I can't wait.