By Uche Amunike
I was on a conference call with my little sister and three of our mutual friends in the USA just last week. They were hanging out and having the time of their lives, while making plans for the year. We were gisting and laughing when our friend, Mary mentioned that her birthday would be in June and that they would all go to Costa Rica to celebrate it.
While I was still squealing in excitement at the thought that they would have so much fun, my little sister, Vivian mentioned that her own birthday in October would be in South Carolina.
I told them to enjoy themselves while mentioning that my own birthday will be spent here in Nigeria since I just returned from a trip just weeks ago, but that I intended celebrating it next year in Seychelles.
They all screamed in excitement and told me they will be there to celebrate with me. I was glad. But after we went on and on about the parties all lined up in those different vacation spots, I told them that I had one thing actually bugging me. They prodded me to open up to them.
Then I told them I was scared of aging. They were shocked. I told them I would be 50 in a few years and it really got me worried cuz I’m scared of losing my youthfulness, energy, charm and zeal. The oldest among us who is actually 51 laughed so hard and told me I got it all wrong. She said among so many things that growing old was a choice! She said she felt like she was 30! Believe me she really looks 30.
By the time we finished our long gist with her, reeling out all the reasons in the world why she happily embraced what she called ‘the new 50’, I had an entirely different mindset about hitting the golden age!
For one, why should I even be scared? I take good care of my self which is one of the things I need to do right before I turn 50. Some ladies actually look 50 way before they get to that age. I am really passionate about this topic because I was almost falling into depression just thinking about this, a couple of months ago.
Today, I need to address my fellow women who feel that their lives are about ending just because they are about turning 50. Do you know that living half a century is, first of all, a thing of Grace? It is God given! It is a divine gift!! It can only be sanctioned by God!
Look at how much deaths our society records on a daily basis. People die every minute. Yet you leave in the morning and return every evening hale and hearty for 50years and counting. If you do not see yourself as a product of Grace, then you really need to work on your mind and reset it to a mode that understands the language of gratitude to the Almighty!
See, the World Health Organization believes that most developed countries consider people to be old only when they get to the age of 60. Unfortunately, in our good old Africa, once you hit age 50, you’re traditionally an elder! You see why most people become scared of turning 50? Well, I’m certainly not scared anymore and I don’t think anyone should have that fear too. 50 is a great milestone for every woman. It’s an age of celebration and acceptance.
It’s a time to live a full and enjoyable life, create new goals and tour the exotic cities round the world as much as you can! What exactly are you scared of? Well, I know I was scared of having wrinkles, losing my youthfulness, beauty, charm and poise. Thinking back now, how can you lose what is a part of you??? All you can do is nurture them and nature will take care of the rest.
A little voice just asked in my pretty head, ‘where should one start from’? Start from telling yourself that being 50 is being two times classy and fabulous! This is a time to reinvent yourself and embrace life. Stop doubting yourself while we’re at it. Watch your weight and what you eat. This is a time to eat little healthy meals.
Dress nicely and rid your wardrobe of all the baggy and worn out clothings that make u look unattractive. Stick to bright coloured nice simple clothings that define you.
Stay away from alcohol and excess coffee. Coffee has a diuretic effect on you at that age. Drink plenty of water. You need it to behydrated and have smooth supple skin! Some people have grey hair, not because they are old, but because of stress and nature. Kindly dye your hair. It always looks neater. Wear the kind of wigs or make the kinds of hair that make you look young.
Being 50 is not being old!!! Wear nice make-up. Real nice and moderately applied. That’s what makes you have a younger look and not heavy make-up.What about your undies? Kindly understand that the kind of undies you wear psychologically makes you feel either young or old! Kindly visit a lingerie shop and pick up nice undies! This is really important. Little things truly matter.
Little things like your undies and your toothbrush go a long way to spoil the big things like your clothes, shoes or even the beautiful car you drive.
You should feel beautiful from within, everyday of your life! This is what every woman should tell herself daily!!!! Always dress to feel young, not by being indecent in anyway, but by the quality and standard you have set for yourself. Always bear this in mind. I will always go back to discuss the skin.
This is really important because it’s one of the things that scare life out of every woman who is gently approaching the golden age. The wrinkles. The rough skin. The shrivelled fingers. Please, I have and will continue to be an advocate for the eradication of bleaching creams.
Nothing makes a woman age faster than these bleaching creams. There is nothing good about them. They will burn your skin and wash out layers of your skin that should be there to protect the skin. Being fair in complexion does not make you beautiful. If Uche Amunike is dark in complexion, that is her natural God-given colour. She shouldn’t wake up tomorrow and have a fair complexion.
How can that even make her beautiful or more beautiful??? She will only end up having her skin burnt and green veins showing everywhere. That’s disgusting! Bleaching your skin makes you have dry skin too. It gives you wrinkles!!! The same wrinkles all of us are scared of.
At that age, women should even avoid harsh skin products. Just use mild skin products and stick to your gentle facial scrubs and mild exfoliators.Natural is bae, as one of my friends will always say. Sleep is also very necessary when we get older. We should always try to avoid stress the much we can. At night, we need to do at least 9 hours of sleep. It rests the body, mind and our bones! Funny, but it’s true.
Our bones need to rest a whole lot as we grow older. Many of us think that going to the spa is for celebrities. Please, if you haven’t been going to spoil yourself at the spa, kindly start NOW! Begin to pamper your skin, mind and body henceforth. Consider yourself the No 1 celebrity in town. Start with YOU! It’s all about embracing your life, living it full cycle, discovering your self more and feeling as young as u deem fit! I love to travel. I don’t know about you. Try taking trips as much as u can. It expands YOU.
It broadens your horizon. It expands your network. Life is all about expansion. Don’t be stagnant. Refuse to be stagnant. Refuse to be old. Refuse to be redundant. Refuse to rust away. Potentials are meant to be used to harness our lives, improve our living and change the world! Discover yours if you haven’t. Make a statement with it. Strive and thrive to leave your name in the sands of time wherever you are called to serve! This is life.
This is your life. Live it with no apologies to anyone! At the end of life’s race, YOU are the one to take stock of your life. YOU are the one to be filled with regrets if you have not done well for yourself and society. YOU are the one to be judged by posterity!Now, most importantly, we need to nurture the most important part of us, which is our soul.
We need to get closer than we have ever been to God. We need to learn to depend on him for guidance, direction, strength, protection and wisdom. Everything I have said here can be possible through Christ who gives us strength and abundance.
Make Him your trusted friend and watch Him take over the wheels of your life. That’s the fastest way to ensure a smooth ride. I still have a few years to hit 50, but for the first time, I’m looking forward to it. Whatever you do, always remember not to be slowed down because of your age. Age is just a number!!!
