The Southwest Voice

President Bush celebrated his 61st birthday this year. His physical and mental condition were reported to be in the top 1 percent of people in that age bracket. That's good considering he's the President of the United States and will remain so for another year.

I'm a nut about reading articles and "how to" books about aging, but they seem to stop at 60. Every once in a while I see an article called something like, "How to wear makeup into the later years." It stops at 60. An article on exercise gave a fitness routine for "those approaching 60." I spotted the cover of a popular women's magazine that blared, "How to dress into the mature years." I thought, "Ahaaa, now I can figure out what in the world to put on this constantly changing body." It stopped dressing women at 60. One of these days I am going to wander the streets of Bakersfield in my birthday suit without makeup. That ought to remind people that there is life after 60! To say nothing of inspiring a new country western song! Buck, where are you when we need you?

One of my favorite TV programs is "What Not to Wear" (on The Learning Channel). I keep waiting for them to include someone over 60. I have a feeling it is going to be a long wait! Apparently the only people they think should dress fashionably are women under 35 or 40. I've never seen a gray hair or a wrinkle on any of their "victims" — to say nothing of a few extra pounds!

My whole family is generally supportive, in spite of my advancing years. They seem to be getting more and more polite to me the older I get. It would be OK with me if sometime they'd say, "Mom, you're nuttier than a fruitcake. Stop worrying about the unimportant things you rant and rave about and just love us and hang out with us!" That should be said when I carry on about how the gray is overtaking the brown, how I wish I wouldn't have laughed so much and earned so many "laugh lines," or when I can't zip up last year's jeans!

The most therapeutic behavior at any age is to get out of yourself and do something! Read the calendar and upcoming events in local publications. And younger readers, don't pity old people. Old is a state of mind. So is young. A good "state of mind" is somewhere between young and old, depending on the situation! I'd rather be my age than repeat some of the mistakes I made when I was young. On the other hand, if only we could "go around twice" and do it right the second time. So far I haven't met anyone who is on a second trip through life!

There must be clothes and makeup for women over 60 — I guess you just have to look in the right places. And don't worry about "laugh lines." They speak volumes! Good volumes. New York Times Best Seller List volumes!