Dear Editor,
When you are young you are so smart.
Your poor old mother gets dumber every year.
You kind of imagine old people were always old.
You think that an old person has no idea of what you are going through. How could they know? After all, they’re old.
Little do the young know old people were young once too. Girls had bright eyes and dark hair. They had crushes on young men who were strong and handsome. Once upon a time they loved music and dancing. When they were young their mothers didn’t know anything either.
Funny how your Mom gets smarter as you grow older. You see young people and you remember when . . . In your heart of hearts you are as young as they are. Until you look in the mirror and see your old self disappearing. Nobody sees you anymore. Nobody winks at you and says “hubba hubba”. You are just old. You can’t chase the butterfly. No amount of makeup and dye will fool anyone. Inside the new you is someone trying to hang on. Trying not to disappear. Disappear into what? Acceptance and grace.
You have passed your “best before date”, so anything after that is a bonus.
You see a baby and you know that little person will know pain, you cannot protect them. Nobody gets a free pass. That’s what knocks the hard edges off and teaches the lessons we all have to learn.
By the time we learn them, it doesn’t matter anymore. You have passed all the exams and you are about to graduate.
Mona Baker
Formerly of Barrhead but now lives in Airdrie
