Sunday, March 24, 2013

Growing Old - with Sass

I've never been hung up on age. For years, I have actually looked forward to embracing the Crone and moving into the Third Act of my life. When I was younger, and I spent too much energy on "acting like a lady" and too little on being myself. But, I didn't want it to always be like that. One of my earliest celebrity female role models was Katheryn Hepburn. I watched Dick Cavett's interviews with her every time I saw them repeated on TV. I wanted to be an old lady like her.

Recently, I received an invitation to my 40th High School Reunion. It took me a while for that number to sink in. It has been 40 years since that miserable, sticky night when 143 of us slogged through the mud on the football field to accept our diplomas. I was still digesting the fact that I graduated from high school FOUR DECADES ago, when I received the AARP monthly magazine.  At the bottom of a page near the back of the magazine, there was a photo of Barbara ("Get Smart") Feldon, with a caption indicating that she is 80 years old. Barbara Feldon -- the cool, sexy foil to Maxwell Smart -- is 80! O M G

Momentarily, I was inclined to take to my bed in some combination of shock and dismay over the sudden awareness that I am getting old. Instead, I found myself feeling totally jazzed. Feldon may be 80, but she looks great and she's still sassy and cool. I put her up there with Kathryn Hepburn, Jessica Tandy and Helen Mirren as my Old Broad icons.That's the way I want to "do" old.

I may be flirting with 60, but I've never looked or felt better in my life. I'm looking forward to being a Sassy Old Broad!

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