Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Everything I Needed To Know...

Son-Two and Daughter-Only had the same kindergarten teacher, a Mrs. P. They adored her; I adored her. She was bubbly and bouncy and endlessly patient and just everything you could hope for in a kindergarten teacher. I remember that when Son-Two moved on to first grade, I sent her a note telling her how much I appreciated who she was as a teacher, not just passing along information to the kids but spreading an infectious enthusiasm for learning.

Mrs. P retired shortly after Daughter-Only moved on from kindergarten. She was good friends with Cranky Boss Lady (of Flower Shop fame), though, and through that connection I became close acquaintances with her if not exactly friends. We do not, for example, call each other up to chat, but we will take a moment to catch up when we bump into each other downtown.

In January, Mrs. P turned 70. She is still bubbly and bouncy, her hair as full and frizzy as ever (it's not just big hair, it's wide too, like a '70s perm brushed out when it was wet) with no visible gray. She is as slender as ever as well and dresses in the jeans and adorable tops of a much younger woman. In short, in a chance encounter with Mrs. P, you would never, ever guess  that you had met a 70-year-old woman.

A day or so before her birthday, she went through Daughter-Only's line at the grocery store and mentioned to D-O that she was turning seventy. The woman in line behind her gasped, "You're 70?! I hope I look like that when I'm 70."

When Daughter-Only relayed this exchange to me, I said, "Forget 70, I wish I looked like that now."

16 comments:

  1. I can feel your pain! I wish I could be like Mrs P right now too! I think one reason I am leery about aging is that there are few role models out there for women who have aged with class and style. There are a lot of tired old women out there and , yes, many - if not most - have earned the right to be tired. They have lived full lives with much trudging. They are entitled to slow down, to get frumpy, to be less than enthusiastic. But every so often I run into a woman who has aged with enthusiasm and I want to be her. I need to start practicing now. Thanks for a thoughtful post.

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    1. And thank you for a thoughtful comment. I'm loving that line (if not the reality): "They have lived full lives with much trudging."

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  2. Me, too. I want to be the older lady that is having one hell of a good time, making the younger ones jealous of my fun. Loved the post!

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  3. After visiting my parents last week I am a little more optimistic about growing old . . . my mother is 83 and looks 63 and acts like she's 53. I sure hope I have her genes :)

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  4. Great kindergarten teachers are hard to find.
    Maybe her bubbly-ness has kept her young. It's all about attitude.

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    1. I definitely think that has factored into it. :)

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  5. Ah, I wish I were the type of person she is now. Bubble, patient .. leaving such a wonderful legacy after her when she retired. Wonderful!

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    1. She's great. I wish every kindergartener could have the experience of having a teacher who really loves her job and is good at it. That first year in "real" school can mean so much.

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  6. If I hadn't just told the story about my kindergarten teacher the other day, I would do it again. So I'm gong to go with, "That was a fine line you ended this post with; I love a good punch-line.

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    1. I love a good kindergarten teacher story. :)

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  7. I hope I look like Walter Matthau when I am 70. That said, I love the continuity of running into retired kindergarten teachers. It is a luxury I never had growing up and I'm not sure that my monkeys will enjoy either.

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    1. Now we know the specific old man TangledLou wants to be when she grows up! (And I'm totally with you on the continuity. I don't know if my kids always appreciate it at this point, having never seen the other side, but I sure as hell do.)

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  8. I want to look like that now too! My mom just turned 73 and she astounds me with her youthfulness...and her toosh. She has been dedicated to practicing yoga for the last 10+ years and she's got the toosh of an 18-year-old. Yes, I really am talking about my mother's butt on the internet. Somebody stop me.

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    1. Please don't stop. Isn't talking about our mothers' butts what the internet is all about?!

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