Did I say embrace?

Ha! I just had a good laugh at myself. I remember beginning this blog and being proud that I was finally going to  embrace my coming age - after all, what was my alternative?  For the past several years, I shied away from the age question, always making some type of joke to get around it. One day I proclaimed, "I'm 38!", that was my new age..and I was sticking to it. I even begged my 8 year-old to stop announcing my real age at every stop. Seriously, he did. To the Nordie's lady he would proudly announce "my mom is 48!" To the dry cleaner guy, "Guess how old my mom is? " I finally had to bribe him with some horrible sweet stuff to stop spreading my secret. It didn't last long.

One thing I think the entire world has in common - we always "think" we look younger than we are. I just had my refrigerator repair man ask me to guess his age (I hate that question!) and that NO ONE ever gets his number correct within 10 years.  Now,  I'm usually pretty good at this, so I guessed 5 years younger than I actually believed, to make him feel good.  " 60?"  Wow, he was not happy with that..see he is 55 and thought I would guess 45. Oops...I sure didn't make his day. But that's the point, we all want to be perceived as younger than we are...and my hunch is that only a very lucky few do.

So,  at my dance studio the other day (yes, I've started ballroom dancing, having the best time!), some friends and I were commenting on the ages of our instructors. My young, cute, hips-don't-lie, instructor is all of 24! I could easily be his mom, and I'm fairly certain he has no idea that I'm exactly his years times two. Or does he? Yes, I'm just like the rest of the world and think I look younger than I am, but to a 24 year old,  I'm sure I look all of 48 and then some.  You know what? He'll never really know...I swore my dance friends to secrecy. And, didn't I begin this blog to embrace the coming of the big 5-0? Hmm, yes...but apparently not to young, cute, hips-don't-lie dance instructors.

Hey, even Barbie turned 50 last year...

Let the tears begin!

When's the last time you had a good cry? For me it's been a while - see, with an 8 year-old, I really try to hold it in, even when I feel as though the flood waters are about to burst.  Actually though, research has shown that having a good cry every now and then is a good thing. Tears appear to reduce tension, remove toxins, and increase the body's ability to heal itself. After an outburst of tears the body is flooded with oxygen, which triggers the release of feel-good hormones in the brain. So, don't hold it in..I'm thinking it might even be beneficial for my 8 year-old to see my tears..after all, grown men should cry.

Need some help? Here's my personal list of weepy movies (in no particular order)...a sure cry every time, especially for this highly emotional, sensitive, Cancer woman!

Beaches ~ A must for anyone with a forever friend. 

Braveheart ~ Mel Gibson at his best!

Gone with the Wind ~ My all-time favorite...

Love Story ~ My first romance movie ever.

Brian's Song ~ Friendship breaks the color barrier.

Ghost ~ Makes you think about losing someone you love.

I am Sam ~ Story of a mentally challenged dad; Sean Penn perfection.

The Notebook ~ I cried reading the book and sobbed at the movie.

Terms of Endearment ~ Classic mother/daughter tale.

You'll get mad, laugh and cry at the same time. 

Schindler's List ~ Spielberg's epic drama about WWII Holocaust victims

Life is Beautiful ~ Roberto Benigni directs and acts. A Jewish/Italian

 father and his family during their concentration camp internment. 

Grab the kleenex box, pop some corn and let the tears begin!

I'm always up for a tear jerker, what are your favorites??