The bloom is not off the effing rose

I am so very tired.No, I am not tired because my metabolism is slowing down or I’m not sleeping well, because my arteries are clogged or my joints are inflamed or my mind is foggy. (In fact, none of this is true.) I am not tired because, gee, isn’t this what “naturally” happens when you age?No, I am not tired because I am getting older. I am tired because I carry the weight of our culture’s expectations about what “getting older” means. And that weight is heavy. And that weight is making me weary.I am betting you carry this burden too. That you were once sort of pleased with comments like, “wow, it’s so impressive that you’re doing that” (the unspoken subtext being: at your age). But now you hear that subtext. You hear it loud and clear. And you’re tired of being “the exception that proves the rule,” the over 50, over 60, over 70 year old who…wait for it…is active and productive and sparky, who takes on new challenges and seeks out adventures, who is curious and engaged and full of energy and vitality.I am not the exception. You are not the exception. We are the rule.And the bloom is not off the fucking rose.