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Monday, February 7
Feb. 8th, 2022 01:16 amToday I am grateful for:
More lovely weather.
I had a very nice phone conversation with my Mom. We didn't talk for that long, maybe 15 or 20 minutes, but she was very lucid and seemed to remember things I was talking about, like how my husband often raises money for MS by participating in a bike ride, or the way she talked about my sister L, whose husband passed away recently. She even seemed to care when I was talking about working on the house (when she isn't following along with things well, she just makes like she isn't interested). She even talked about when she and Dad raised sheep a long time ago.
It was a very good conversation.
I went to town for pottery, and the roads were nice and clear again. That's always nice.
Pottery was good. I didn't have that good a time throwing-wise. The clay has been very uneven. Last week it was too wet, this week it was unevenly hard, so all of this means I need to do a lot more work with the clay before I throw.
Being there was still nice. I enjoy the stimulation of talking to people in real life. A lot of the potters left super early, leaving me and one other woman alone, and we had a nice conversation. She has been to a lot of places and seen some wonderful art. Italy and Mexico City (before it was taken over by cartels).
At some point, the conversation drifted to me. She asked if I worked, which I don't. It's funny how unusual this has become. It is now one of the many things that make me unusual/odd to people. I feel pretty self-conscious about it.
Then of course, the inevitable "are you going to have kids?" which is getting more and more uncomfortable because I AM ALMOST 50 YEARS OLD NOW!!!
This is twice now, in the last year, that I have been asked if "I am planning a family". That is even like, "so in the next few years?". What, like when I'm 60?
I get that people often think that I am younger, and that is nice. It means that all the sunscreen, sleep, and not drinking, smoking, or doing drugs and no sugar etc. is being reflected in my appearance.
This woman tonight was pretty shocked when I told her my age, and when I asked her what made me seem that much younger, she said that I just SEEMED younger. She hasn't even seen my face because I always wear a mask in pottery. She said my ideas seem younger. I give the impression of being younger.
It was the same with the person at the riding barn (who is 31, herself). She thought I was a lot closer to her age, like in my 30's (she's the other person who asked if I was planning to have kids).
So a person in her late 60's and a person in her early 30's both thought I was at least 10 to 15 years younger than I am.
I guess when I talk, I don't talk about work, or what my adult kids are doing, I talk about ideas in general. Very present tense. I don't have a lot of adult responsibilities beyond looking after myself and the animals and our property. Maybe this is what she means? Yet, I have friends my age who don't have kids, and I don't know that most people think they are a lot younger because of that.
Anyone who is reading this, what do you think? Does my "voice" seem like a much younger person?
I hope that it isn't that I seem immature. I know that because I haven't had a lifelong career and I haven't been a parent that I lack certain common life experiences. Maybe I seem naive, or frivolous? Maybe because I am generally not an alpha in a group of people?
Anyhow. It's nice in some ways to LOOK younger, but you still want people to take you seriously.
I saw a beautiful young whitetail buck deer in the parking lot outside of the pottery studio. He was right next to the car; I don't think he knew I was sitting in it. There are a lot of deer in this town now, and there are some nice grounds around that building with trees. I see deer there a lot.
Then I got a TON of groceries. I found a few staples on good sales, so I stocked up on a few things. I am always grateful for access to good food, the means to buy them, a car to get them home, and the physical ability to do it.
The drive home was almost blissfully serene. There weren't a lot of other drivers, the roads were clear, there was a beautiful moon, and some very tranquil music on the radio.
Today I learned that there is a fantastic new-ish museum in Mexico City housing a very large collection of prehistoric pre-Hispanic MesoAmerican artifacts, as well as European masters, and modern Western art. The woman in pottery class mentioned that she would like to see this museum one day, and I looked it up. It looks AMAZING! I really didn't realize that Mexico had things like this. They sure don't show this side of Mexico in films, they just show slums full of drug lords.
Museo Soumaya: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_Soumaya
More lovely weather.
I had a very nice phone conversation with my Mom. We didn't talk for that long, maybe 15 or 20 minutes, but she was very lucid and seemed to remember things I was talking about, like how my husband often raises money for MS by participating in a bike ride, or the way she talked about my sister L, whose husband passed away recently. She even seemed to care when I was talking about working on the house (when she isn't following along with things well, she just makes like she isn't interested). She even talked about when she and Dad raised sheep a long time ago.
It was a very good conversation.
I went to town for pottery, and the roads were nice and clear again. That's always nice.
Pottery was good. I didn't have that good a time throwing-wise. The clay has been very uneven. Last week it was too wet, this week it was unevenly hard, so all of this means I need to do a lot more work with the clay before I throw.
Being there was still nice. I enjoy the stimulation of talking to people in real life. A lot of the potters left super early, leaving me and one other woman alone, and we had a nice conversation. She has been to a lot of places and seen some wonderful art. Italy and Mexico City (before it was taken over by cartels).
At some point, the conversation drifted to me. She asked if I worked, which I don't. It's funny how unusual this has become. It is now one of the many things that make me unusual/odd to people. I feel pretty self-conscious about it.
Then of course, the inevitable "are you going to have kids?" which is getting more and more uncomfortable because I AM ALMOST 50 YEARS OLD NOW!!!
This is twice now, in the last year, that I have been asked if "I am planning a family". That is even like, "so in the next few years?". What, like when I'm 60?
I get that people often think that I am younger, and that is nice. It means that all the sunscreen, sleep, and not drinking, smoking, or doing drugs and no sugar etc. is being reflected in my appearance.
This woman tonight was pretty shocked when I told her my age, and when I asked her what made me seem that much younger, she said that I just SEEMED younger. She hasn't even seen my face because I always wear a mask in pottery. She said my ideas seem younger. I give the impression of being younger.
It was the same with the person at the riding barn (who is 31, herself). She thought I was a lot closer to her age, like in my 30's (she's the other person who asked if I was planning to have kids).
So a person in her late 60's and a person in her early 30's both thought I was at least 10 to 15 years younger than I am.
I guess when I talk, I don't talk about work, or what my adult kids are doing, I talk about ideas in general. Very present tense. I don't have a lot of adult responsibilities beyond looking after myself and the animals and our property. Maybe this is what she means? Yet, I have friends my age who don't have kids, and I don't know that most people think they are a lot younger because of that.
Anyone who is reading this, what do you think? Does my "voice" seem like a much younger person?
I hope that it isn't that I seem immature. I know that because I haven't had a lifelong career and I haven't been a parent that I lack certain common life experiences. Maybe I seem naive, or frivolous? Maybe because I am generally not an alpha in a group of people?
Anyhow. It's nice in some ways to LOOK younger, but you still want people to take you seriously.
I saw a beautiful young whitetail buck deer in the parking lot outside of the pottery studio. He was right next to the car; I don't think he knew I was sitting in it. There are a lot of deer in this town now, and there are some nice grounds around that building with trees. I see deer there a lot.
Then I got a TON of groceries. I found a few staples on good sales, so I stocked up on a few things. I am always grateful for access to good food, the means to buy them, a car to get them home, and the physical ability to do it.
The drive home was almost blissfully serene. There weren't a lot of other drivers, the roads were clear, there was a beautiful moon, and some very tranquil music on the radio.
Today I learned that there is a fantastic new-ish museum in Mexico City housing a very large collection of prehistoric pre-Hispanic MesoAmerican artifacts, as well as European masters, and modern Western art. The woman in pottery class mentioned that she would like to see this museum one day, and I looked it up. It looks AMAZING! I really didn't realize that Mexico had things like this. They sure don't show this side of Mexico in films, they just show slums full of drug lords.
Museo Soumaya: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_Soumaya
