Never too old, I guess

lizaj

lizaj

New member
chryssanthi sahar said:
Very well said Granddad:clap: I'm surely also one of those who are going to grow old disgracefully:lol: (well, who have already started growing old disgracefully;) I am 48, so two more years and I'll hit 50. But 50 today is like 30 one century ago;)) And...by the way, why do you call yourself Granddad if you are not even 60? It cannot be because of the age, so I assume you are a real granddad? How many grandchildren do you have?
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I've got three but age is no barrier here I have a friend who was a granny at 37!:rolleyes:
 
nigma

nigma

New member
Shanazel said:
And Shanazel says thank you for the kind words.

There is vanity and there is vanity. Where would one draw the line? Cleft palate deserves plastic surgery but ears that stick out through a person's hair do not because a person should just learn to live with the non-life-threatening defect God deals them? The girl with the nose the size of Texas should just suck it up and live with the taunts? The man who life dealt breasts a woman would be proud of should just deal with it? No accident, no deal?

There may be a lot of psychological damage lurking behind a person's apparently frivolous decision to have plastic surgery. Sometimes what appears to be saving face is saving a lot more. I have had plastic surgery twice. It changed my quality of life and peace of mind tremendously, and I am not about to make assumptions about whether someone else's surgery is frivolous or not.
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maybe I came across sounding a tad harsh and I'm gald you found happiness with your procedures.
I guess my concern is that there seem to be too many plastic surgeons out there focusing just on the vanity thing and of course a cleft palate is very disfiguring so sure that is neccessary surgery ( I know a child born with a cleft palate)
Do I think big ears/nose is a surgery priority? no not really. I think those types of surgery should be at the bottom of the list (just my opinion) I reckon all the years that a doctor studies for, their expertise should be given to those that truely need it. maybe my strong take on this is due to the excessive frivolity we see today. I feel the same way about the fat issue and people seeking lipo when really we all know that a good healthy diet and excercise is the key for most.
 
Granddad

Granddad

New member
chryssanthi sahar said:
Very well said Granddad:clap: I'm surely also one of those who are going to grow old disgracefully:lol: (well, who have already started growing old disgracefully;) I am 48, so two more years and I'll hit 50. But 50 today is like 30 one century ago;)) And...by the way, why do you call yourself Granddad if you are not even 60? It cannot be because of the age, so I assume you are a real granddad? How many grandchildren do you have?
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:lol: Good question. I started using that "nom de plume" when my first grandson was born 9 years ago. I suppose I was a little bit proud. :dance:
Now I have 5 grandchildren including twin boys. Grandchildren are much more fun and much less stress, you can wind them up, fill them full of "E" numbers, sugar and chocolate and then take them home. :lol: Revenge is SWEET! ;)

The only down side is that 3 of them live about 150 miles away and the twins live about 6000 miles away in the Pacific North West USA. :(

I didn't plan to be a granddad so young but my son didn't give me much choice in the matter. :lol:
 
K

KuteNurse

New member
Shanazel said:
Just keep practicing for thirty years or so.;)
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I hope to dance that long! Then, when we are both old, gray, wrinkly and in wheelchairs, we can practice our shoulder shimmies together as we are wheeled down the long corridor of the nursing home:) lol
 
feedyoureye

feedyoureye

New member
Hi all, Im new here, and catching up on the conversations. I started taking lessons at 55. That was june of 08. I had taken some lessons from the infamous Jodett in the 70s (By the way, she was always very kind to me. I never saw anything else from her the short time I had her as an instructor)... just think, I would probable be a pretty good dancer if I wouldn't have quit then... one regret....but I'm back now.
From my 20s I always thought I would have a big car, a small dog, petal pushers and pink hair in my "golden years". My husband calls it "Mutton dressed as lamb". OK, I can live with that. My aging look is more fantasy desert queen or something, I lived in India for a while, and had the chance to visit tribal women, including the Banjara dancer GULABI SAPERA. As a young woman she came to my hotel with other members of her family, and played and danced all night. I was hooked. Anyway.... I decided it was not too late to learn how to dance, and to enjoy dancing, so I joined with the goal of public performance by 60. I have some interest from a troop already, however I want to get a little better before venturing out into public...theres my vanity. I may not look 25, but that doesn't mean I can't look fantastic with what I've got.

not sure how to imbed video....check her out here.. In Jaipur, after she started dancing with Titi Robins YouTube - Titi Robin Trio, Jaipur
 
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bopeep

bopeep

New member
I was just thinking about how we are conditioned to think about age, beauty and the whole nine yards. When I was a teenager, I remember thinking that I would be too old to 'celebrate' the change of the millenium when it came (I was 33, :rolleyes: hardly old!). During my 20's and 30's I thought I was too old to learn to belly dance (I had done ballet as a teen/kid and I thought that was when you needed to start), and that I would look ridiculous. I thought I couldn't be beautiful at 40 (even though I thought Isabella Rosselini was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen). I had a very warped sense of age and what it meant. I don't think 'society' did this to me - I think I did it to myself. There are a lot of cues out there that youth is everything, but there are also lots of examples to take that age can be beautiful too.

But something happened to me when 40 was staring me in the face. I decided I didn't care what others thought about how I looked. So last fall, I started belly dancing - it was my 40th birthday present from my hubby. I wanted to do it for ME. I wanted to to have fun, satisfy a 20 year old desire, and become beautiful in my own mind.

I think it takes a certain level of confidence, experience and maturity before we are able to throw off the reasons that were holding us back. I think we middle aged and older types *are* brave, because it is hard to start belly dancing when you have believed you could not or should not. It's not the shackles that society places on us that are hard to break, it's the ones we place on ourselves that tie us down. I had 20 years worth of insecurity and underconfidence to dump before I could begin, and women who are 50 or 60 and up have even more than I did! It is so liberating to prove yourself wrong, and discover that you really *can* do this, and that it's so much fun. I felt so proud of myself when I performed at the rec centre's Xmas show, not because I was good (I wasn't), but because - I did it! :clap:

DH was proud too, and that made it even sweeter! :D

BP
 
Granddad

Granddad

New member
feedyoureye said:
Hi all, Im new here, and catching up on the conversations. I started taking lessons at 55. That was june of 08. I had taken some lessons from the infamous Jodett in the 70s (By the way, she was always very kind to me. I never saw anything else from her the short time I had her as an instructor)... just think, I would probable be a pretty good dancer if I wouldn't have quit then... one regret....but I'm back now.
From my 20s I always thought I would have a big car, a small dog, petal pushers and pink hair in my "golden years". My husband calls it "Mutton dressed as lamb". OK, I can live with that. My aging look is more fantasy desert queen or something, I lived in India for a while, and had the chance to visit tribal women, including the Banjara dancer GULABI SAPERA. As a young woman she came to my hotel with other members of her family, and played and danced all night. I was hooked. Anyway.... I decided it was not too late to learn how to dance, and to enjoy dancing, so I joined with the goal of public performance by 60. I have some interest from a troop already, however I want to get a little better before venturing out into public...theres my vanity. I may not look 25, but that doesn't mean I can't look fantastic with what I've got.

not sure how to imbed video....check her out here.. In Jaipur, after she started dancing with Titi Robins YouTube - Titi Robin Trio, Jaipur
Click to expand...

Why wait till 60? Doesn't your instructor have haflas or local performance platforms where you can perform in front of a supportive audience? My wife started in Oct '05 at age 54 and was performing with her class at haflas within 3 months. By the time September '06 came along she did her first solo and loved it! OK, so she's not ready for the Albert Hall yet but she has fun, gets practice at creating choreos and gets to show off her glitter and bling. :D


This lovely bunch probably has an average age of around 50 (and that includes 2 in their twenties). I think at least two are retired and only started dancing recently. They did a smashing Christmas Gypsy fusion to Felice Navidad and were made to perform it twice. :lol:
 
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lizaj

lizaj

New member
bopeep said:
I was just thinking about how we are conditioned to think about age, beauty and the whole nine yards. When I was a teenager, I remember thinking that I would be too old to 'celebrate' the change of the millenium when it came (I was 33, :rolleyes: hardly old!). During my 20's and 30's I thought I was too old to learn to belly dance (I had done ballet as a teen/kid and I thought that was when you needed to start), and that I would look ridiculous. I thought I couldn't be beautiful at 40 (even though I thought Isabella Rosselini was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen). I had a very warped sense of age and what it meant. I don't think 'society' did this to me - I think I did it to myself. There are a lot of cues out there that youth is everything, but there are also lots of examples to take that age can be beautiful too.

But something happened to me when 40 was staring me in the face. I decided I didn't care what others thought about how I looked. So last fall, I started belly dancing - it was my 40th birthday present from my hubby. I wanted to do it for ME. I wanted to to have fun, satisfy a 20 year old desire, and become beautiful in my own mind.

I think it takes a certain level of confidence, experience and maturity before we are able to throw off the reasons that were holding us back. I think we middle aged and older types *are* brave, because it is hard to start belly dancing when you have believed you could not or should not. It's not the shackles that society places on us that are hard to break, it's the ones we place on ourselves that tie us down. I had 20 years worth of insecurity and underconfidence to dump before I could begin, and women who are 50 or 60 and up have even more than I did! It is so liberating to prove yourself wrong, and discover that you really *can* do this, and that it's so much fun. I felt so proud of myself when I performed at the rec centre's Xmas show, not because I was good (I wasn't), but because - I did it! :clap:

DH was proud too, and that made it even sweeter! :D

BP
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I didn't feel *brave* for starting to learn to belly dance at age 51 anymore than had I wanted to start roller-blading or ball room dance. Why should I?
I didn't feel foolish or that I was wasting my time and those who might think me so..to h$ll with them.
What I did find was that I had a lot more hard physical and mental and academic work to do than I had originally thought and it was all a lot more of a challenge

I suppose I always admired older women and as a young woman thought the likes of Lauren Bacall and Katherine Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich only to be admired and in my dreams aspired to.
Now who do I find to be the best actresses and smartest women and yes the most beautiful?Judi Dench, Helen Mirren and Honor Blackman..hey old birds .the young gels have a long way to go!;)
 
chryssanthi sahar

chryssanthi sahar

New member
Granddad said:
:
I didn't plan to be a granddad so young but my son didn't give me much choice in the matter. :lol:
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That's cool, Granddad;) It's great to have grandchildren when you are still young. I hope my daughter (who is now 22) won't wait too long, until she makes me grandma:lol:
It's a pity that some of your grandchildren live so far away, but the joy of reunion is certainly big;)
 
bopeep

bopeep

New member
lizaj said:
I didn't feel *brave* for starting to learn to belly dance at age 51 anymore than had I wanted to start roller-blading or ball room dance. Why should I?
I didn't feel foolish or that I was wasting my time and those who might think me so..to h$ll with them.
What I did find was that I had a lot more hard physical and mental and academic work to do than I had originally thought and it was all a lot more of a challenge
Click to expand...

I wish I had thought like this before now, but I didn't. There is absolutely no reason to feel foolish, and you had/have the right attitude. I don't know why I limited myself in this way, but I did. I was a coward when it came to learning to belly dance, and it's something I've wanted to learn to do for years. For me, it took a real amount of change to say that I don't care if someone else thinks I look ridiculous. I know that a couple of other students in my beginner class felt the same way, and even worse - they were too afraid to perform in the student show. They haven't even made it as far as I have.

It was beyond stupid to feel this way, I know, and I refuse to limit myself like that anymore - now I'm proud of what I've done. I don't think I look ridiculous, and neither did the friends that came to watch my show (actually, they were in awe of what I could do!). I know I still have a huge amount to learn, since I've only been doing this for three months, but I *can* do this and I *will* get better. I am having so much fun that I am really mad at myself for being such a coward and not taking lessons all these years!

Somehow, something in me changed and I lost the fear that was holding me back. Maybe it wasn't that I became 'brave', but instead, I outgrew my fear? I'm not sure exactly what it was, just that I changed. This is something of a 'new me' and, and it came about so suddenly, I'm still trying to figure out what the heck happened! :lol:

BP
 
lizaj

lizaj

New member
Yey something changed and you did it..is it the "I've got to this age and now I don't give a sh$$..." :lol::lol:

But then I had to put up with a young dancer looking down her nose at me and saying "Oh I'm giving up before I get old!"Well I reckon she'll miss out but there ya go!
 
bopeep

bopeep

New member
lizaj said:
But then I had to put up with a young dancer looking down her nose at me and saying "Oh I'm giving up before I get old!"Well I reckon she'll miss out but there ya go!
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Oh my! How sad. I'm sure she'll change her mind once she is olderand realizes her old-age is in her head, but still, to think that way is so limiting and sad. Being the recently reformed person I am, you'd think I would understand her to some degree, but I can't. I really can't understand why she (or I) would put a limit like that on dancing. It's so stupid! :wall:

I'm sure that at some point I will have to give this up because I will get too old, but I hope that point comes in my 80's or 90's, or even later! :lol: I'd love to be shimmying along with my walker :lol::lol:

BP
 
jenc

jenc

New member
One reason I took this up at 57 is that I know old ladies of 100 who still walk to town and knew that I wanted to optimum peak flexibility and stamina for as long as possible. I reckon that a lot of younger people are going to be a burden when they get older because they don't have the muscle tone now!
 
lizaj

lizaj

New member
jenc said:
One reason I took this up at 57 is that I know old ladies of 100 who still walk to town and knew that I wanted to optimum peak flexibility and stamina for as long as possible. I reckon that a lot of younger people are going to be a burden when they get older because they don't have the muscle tone now!
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and when the toll of mackies and gloopy drinks hits home!
 
Aniseteph

Aniseteph

New member
lizaj said:
But then I had to put up with a young dancer looking down her nose at me and saying "Oh I'm giving up before I get old!"
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That is priceless! Blah blah blah hope I die before I get old blah blah blah... Deserves to be remembered for years so people can keep asking her why she hasn't given up yet.
 
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