BLOGG # 72 MAINTAINING THE BALANCE

Note: I have chosen this subject -keeping in mind your post Christmas-New Year Eve debauchery.

I have noticed with the passing years that one word crops up more than any other. No, dear reader, it is not the negative words you are thinking of for such advanced years as mine- cancel those thoughts at once. The word I find spoken most frequently in reference to my age is balance. The importance of balance in my life, my diet, my exercise program is a lecture I often have to listen to.

  The first of these refers to the physical body.  I don’t know what you do but I personally spend hours at the pool painstakingly walking back and forth the width of the pool, trying to keep my feet directly in front of each other on the red line, trying desperately to not fall into the brink. Also I attempt with varying success, the Yoga one legged stance. Then there are the experts.  My acupuncturist who feels my pulse looks at my tongue and solemnly shakes his head and intones “eat  more raw root vegetables to balance out your yin or is it yang?  My chiropractor on the other hand, pommels my back and says “You are a mess! You are way out of balance” and proceeds to pound me back into that exalted  state. My  medical doctor is not exempt. We spend long conversations on “maintaining balance” that go like this: the vampire one: “Your good and bad cholesterol levels are out of whack” and looking at me over his glasses-“less red wine, Laurie, and eat more almonds.”  My blood pressure is next. The doctor and I try to keep it perfect between high and low with a balanced level of low salt, sugar and lots of salads. There is another longer discussion on keeping my digestive tract in balance- a high wire act of balance between fiber and laxative intake to prevent disaster. But the physical is not the only realm of perfect balance-oh no! There is the all important “Sartorial balance” When one reaches a certain age this can be rather fun- there are a lot of possibilities-You can do “frump” “ grunge” “eccentric” or “classic” or, my personal favourite, a combination of all four with a bright scarf  thrown in. What you can not do is “Vintage”. If you bring out your sixties mini or heaven forbid, your fifties felt poodle skirt, you will look as if you are in a time warp and look pathetic and very silly. The really important part is the balance and listen to me carefully dear readers, between lengths and width; for example, when wearing palazzo pants –a favourite of women of my age, it is better to team it with a fitted short top- not a loose one reaching below your hips-thereby emphasizing them, low heels, and a small hat if wearing one. On the other hand if wearing a short skirt- yes you can-even mini- the top should be loose and just no more than two inches shorter than the mini-topped by, preferably, a favourite rather sloppy cardigan shorter than the skirt, and sleeves pushed up. If wearing a scarf, it should reach just to the hem of your skirt-no longer.  Do not wear high heels! A casual pair of sandals or brogues if you have nice ankles, bare skinned if you can, and no, no socks! Boots can be worn but not too elegant-as it looks like you are trying too hard. Maquillage is definitely a matter of balance- emphasize either the eyes or the lips not both. Every age has one feature that is important to deal with, and at my age it is the eyebrows- never step out of the bedroom in the morning without attending to your eyebrows!  You will notice I do not mention wrinkles. In a mature appearance,  wrinkles, especially those earned by extensive fun- living, complete the well balanced sartorial effect. This has been real fun, readers, but there is more to balance- there is the spiritual and emotional balance. As you get older this gets more challenging. The balance between maintaining your friends gets more difficult with age and lovers- ditto- also finding spiritual and creative space.  This is the ultimate balancing act and I advise you to start practicing it way before you reach any where near “seven score ten”