Tanya K. - age 67 - Kathleen Cosgrove

What does it feel like? I enjoy my children in a completely different way,
having adult discussions, listening to them and hearing about their lives,
and how they approach life’s challenges. Seeing how my character has
changed over the years, wondering if I had made the right decisions in my
life and with hindsight reflecting on my own parents and how they lived.
Looking at oneself I am aware of all the physical changes. One searches
for the person you thought you recognized, and you can only see familiar
features that once related to you being you.
It’s not something one notices, it just seems to happen, you become invisible
and realize no one is bothered by what you do or say. It could be called age
discrimination, I have experienced it from males of my age, they imply I
wouldn’t understand. I find this extremely frustrating and demeaning.
On the upside, I now have more time to paint, create, read, listen, and
take time to enjoy life. I have joined a group of like-minded women, and
we promote art in our community, by creating displays, organizing art
trails and activities open to the broader community. This has inspired me
to totally immerse myself in my artwork, putting together an exhibition of
work that portrays how living life every moment, is what I feel it’s all
about in the end.
Having experienced some of life’s journey, the suffering, and the ecstasy,
I feel enthusiasm for leaving my comfort zone, to stand outside myself
looking into my disorder and upheaval and engaging with my own life. By
experiencing my life fully I can ultimately distinguish truths from falsehoods,
and learn how not to give a damn and to give myself a break to just be me.