Aging sucks. Blood pressure problems jump up out of nowhere. Crackles and pops no longer come from your breakfast cereal, but from your joints instead. Doesn't my body understand that according to my mindset I'm still 22? Eyes refuse to focus as fast. Forget about pulling any more allnighters. Gone are the days of surviving on Dr. Peppers and french fries and 2 hours of sleep per night. How the hell did I manage that anyway?

I know the alternative is worse. Justification just doesn't seem to cut it though when the inevitable is staring you in your lightly lined face. Knowing it and feeling it are two different things. Looks aren't necessarily what I'm concerned with, but I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm not vain enough not to care about them.

My biggest problem with aging is the lifestyle changes you are forced to make. No longer will I have carefree days of feeling invincible. Out of the blue it seems like one new ailment or another strikes. Paranoia creeps in using the guise of "Does my ass sag like that?" as a cover.

Quality time with a lover changes from hitting all the clubs and shutting down the bars then coming home to do the mattress mambo to snuggling on the couch, sharing unsalted, unbuttered popcorn and trying not to conk out before SNL starts. Really now, it throws a monkey wrench into my whole sex kitten wanna be approach when I'm forced into wearing flats instead of stilletos because my ankles and back just won't cooperate.

Sex ... heh, ok that's the only saving grace there because contrary to popular belief sex really does get better with age. Thousands of guys are out looking for a young hot chick and they're missing out on some truly amazing sexual fun with a lover who has hit her prime. Unless of course he happens to get the foresight of Ashton Kutcher, but I'm digressing here.

Veins are suddenly showing where they weren't visible a few years ago. What the hell happened to my taut, glowing skin? X-rays have become a mainstay of any doctor visit these days. Youth really is wasted on the young, making me want to ask for a refund so I can go back and get it right. "Zest for life" should be my motto, however these days "I'm much too young to feel this damn old" is more my take on it.

Words and Images � bisa-pet