COUGAR, LEOPARD OR TOAD

 I have been called many many things throughout my life.  Some, like mom, daughter, wife, are good things and I am proud to have been called all of them.  Other "names" I have been called are not so nice and I will not share them with you.  I think one of the most memorable rhymes from my childhood was, " Sticks and stone can break my bones but names will never harm me".  I used that chant way too often as a kid and it worked every time.  Between that and "It takes one to know one" I managed to survive my younger years.  (To be completely honest, now that I think about it I used those two comebacks well into adulthood.)

And now here I am in my senior years and no one even wants to talk to me, no less call me names. The Man has selective hearing and when the kids call it is all about them and their families.  All I do is listen.  

Speaking of The Man I guess I could technically be a Cougar since he is 2 years younger than me.  But that is really stretching it.  And let's face it, I am NO cougar !  A leopard maybe . . . 

Why a leopard ?  Well, it seems that as I age my skin is being taken over by spots.  Big and small. Brown and blotchy, they cover my entire body.  Wait, that's not exactly true.  These polka dots only appear on the parts of my body that are exposed to the sun.  This gives a whole new meaning to the term "Sun Spots". 

I can't remember how old I was when I first started noticing my spots.  At first there were just one or two.   Then there were ten or twelve, next twenty or thirty and now I am just covered.  In fact there are so many they are beginning to blend into one another.  In the beginning I could play "Follow the dots" and come up with some neat pictures and designs.  Now I don't even have spaces between the dots.  I am told by some that these spots are caused by the sun, others say it is just part of aging and yet others tell me they are a sign of my liver not working properly.  I'm thinking that I have so many because all three of those reasons are working together to create a new skin for me.  If I were a snake I could shed my skin every so often and start fresh. Now that I think about it I guess the reason my spots are all blending together is because the fatter I get my skin is stretching out,  

When I'm out with friends who are younger than me I always notice how lovely their skin is.  Smooth and un blotched. And then I look at my arm and wonder what color my skin would be without all these spots.Maybe I don't want to know.  Unlike my hair that I can color if I  don't like my own color,  I don't have that option with my skin.  I wonder what color I would pick if I could?  Maybe purple? 

But as with my hair," it is what it is".  I'm very happy with my hair color now that I am a senior citizen and since there is nothing I can do about my skin I guess I'll just take what God has given me and roll with it.  

But I really do look like a leopard.   

OR if I am being completely honest I think I look more like a spotted toad.