Ch-ch-ch-Changes

Remember that old David Bowie song?  Well, that’s how I feel as I approach a 70+ birthday.  Several of my friends who are further along in that decade have told me that I’d begin to notice time showing in and on my body.  Boy, were they right.

When I look at myself in the mirror, I see ch-ch-ch-changes in the texture of my skin and my thick, naturally wavy hair, punctuated by the appearance of unusual earmarks of aging. 

Not age spots, mind you, but something unprecedented such as a stubborn, pencil-eraser-sized keratin “plug” that has settled between my upper lip and nose.  It’s not disfiguring or dangerous, of course, but it signals a different way my body reflects and processes life’s ch-ch-ch-changes.

Over the last several years, I’ve also developed intermittent, patchy eczema on my forehead and neck which is controlled by applying topical ointment and by abstaining from alcohol.  Alcohol, as it is processed by the body, causes inflammation and the skin barrier is the most visible manifestation of that irritation.

 Compared to more serious and chronic diseases, these are just sub-atomic particles on life’s surface.  But they also appear to be a clear marker and manifestation that I’m no longer young, dewy and fresh.

How are you seeing and feeling aging?