Middle-age peeves

Middle age is rather a difficult beast to deal with. Yes yes, the forties are the new thirties and all that, but the fact remains that being on the wrong side of forties has me grappling with physical and mental issues like never before.

For one, your skin and hair are not what they once were. Patchiness shows up on the face, and so do fine lines on the skin. The hair is greying at an alarming rate, and thinning with equal speed. Digestive problems have cropped up from nowhere. Joints have started creaking and sending alarming painful signals from time to time. And God knows what the state of the heart, kidneys, liver etc. are. No, I have not gone for regular check-ups as advised by all medical sermons.

The mind starts acting like it has its own mind. Swaying from chirpy and cool at one moment to black and filthy at the next, it becomes a challenge to keep in control. Pre-menopausal effects are here with a bang.

So what's the silver lining? It is the network of relationships I had taken time to build that stands me in good stead. My family puts up bravely with my raving and ranting, and patiently wait for me to calm down. Siblings and relatives have accepted my faults and are willing to let me be.

Professional acquaintances know that I cannot be messed around with. Though I have lost touch with most of my childhood and youth friends, I find myself building friendly and sympathetic relations along the way. Young people look up for advice and guidance, and let me admit, it does a lot of good to the ego.

So where the body and mind deceive, relationships save the day. Coming to the mathematics of life, that is not that bad.