Essentially we are the same. Just older.
I’ve been to a reunion. Well, not a big reunion, just seven of us, but still a reunion as three of the girls I hadn’t seen for about 25 years or more. We were all the same. Just older.
Essentially the same people but different.
Time changes people. We grow, we evolve and we shift, but we are still the same person we were 30 years ago. We just have different ideas and stories to tell. Some have had babies – one has had FOUR! Others have no children but dogs! That’s me, obviously!
Beauty college in the 80s was very different to how it is now. We were a very close group of fifteen girls, and one boy. Richard left after the first term to become a very successful make up artist. Re-branded as Dick Page. He was always a massive talent in the making. Not really cut out for manicures and pedicures!
The rest of us stuck out the three year hairdressing and beauty therapy course. In those days it was very intensive! We were a close group although we were paired up most of the time so some of the group we didn’t know as well as our practice partners, but we were still a close knit bunch.
The power of social media has brought us all together.
Everyone has a story, and everyone has a few more lines and crinkles…. some have had health challenges, others have been divorced and re-married, while some married their college sweet hearts and are still together.
This gathering was an indoor barbecue, due to the grotty summer weather – cooked and served by the hosts husband, enabling us to chatter away. Seven menopausal fifty-somethings drinking Prosecco and eating trifle. Well, five were drinking enough for seven but they were staying the night!
It’s times like this that I have a momentary longing for a glass of bubbles or a G&T, but I am essentially very happy being a non-drinker. As long as my glass looks pretty, I’m happy with my water!
I gave up alcohol a few years ago.
I used to be a Gin lover…and a bit of a Port monster at dinners…. Port was my friend, but as my energies shifted and changed, I went off the taste of wine. Then I ditched the Gin. If I have a few sips, I can feel my nose starting to throb. Proper Rosacea in the making. I don’t really miss it, and it helps keep my weight in check. All those empty calories….although sometimes…a few bubbles would be lovely!
It was interesting to hear where people are in their lives.
Some of us had moved more to holistic side of treating people, while another is in the fitness industry and one has a salon in Lanzarote. Some don’t do beauty therapy at all any more, but we all remember those college days. Drinking Lambruso before going out on the town with just a fiver to spend. The cheapest nights were Thursday, when it was free entrance to the night club before 10pm and the drink of the night was only 50p! (I prayed it wasn’t wasn’t Pernod, and I learnt to love Southern Comfort!)
We are all now 50 years old.
Well, I’m not quite there yet, being the baby of the group. I’ve been watching with interest how the others have chosen to celebrate their birthdays, and I’m still unsure what to do for mine in a couple of months time. One thing for sure is that it won’t be a Prosecco party!
We all had menopause issues.
It was good to know everyone was in the same boat with the menopause though. After all we aren’t the first women to go through it. It isn’t an illness, it’s a transition. Sadly the symptoms can affect people in many different ways. Hot flushes for one can be managed, while another really suffers. I wrote about this earlier in the year, so I won’t go through it all again. Just look here.
One thing for sure is, we are all strong women who know who we are! We know our own minds, and although many had been through the mill and had stories to tell, we are all finding that being 50 is ok. Well, ok-ish!
Taking care of ourselves, eating good food, looking at new ways to exercise and being more mindful, were all things we in agreement with.
The odd thing was, I had mad a conscious decision NOT to paint my toenails. I haven’t done polish for a few years now. My toes are tidy and pedicured, but no polish. I should have known that everyone would have polished toes! But it didn’t matter. My choice. My toes. We may all be older and not all in the industry anymore, but everyone had mascara on….. and perfectly polished tootsies! I made up for it with pink shoes!
A set of perfect toes. Even if mine weren’t polished!
