Ringing in a new decade

My dear friend quotes her mother often, and one of her mom’s more impactful sayings was “Never lie about your age. You might look really good for your age but not so good for the age that you say you are.” Most of us have a few watershed moments in our lives. Hearing and understanding Mrs. Cook’s simple philosophy was one of mine. I decided at that moment that I would never lie about my age. My friends and family often tell me that there is no need for me to do so. Blessed with a genetic cocktail that has kept me totally brunette and only moderately wrinkled, I usually get accused of being younger than the half century I will become a week before Christmas Day. However, what I feel and what I see when I look in the mirror is 50 in full bloom. For example, my name recall is not what it once was. I fully embrace Ogden Nash’s quote, “Fifty is the age when you’ve met so many people every new person you meet reminds you of someone else.”

A tendency most of us have in our younger years is to make friends with people who agree with us. That was easy. This is harder: Find friends with whom you respectfully disagree. As the clock ticks up to 50, I relish the thought of lively debate and discussion and the limitless opportunity for learning and growth. What a fantastic era in which to be a middle-aged woman!

If it is December, then it is time for Christmas music, The Nutcracker and “Women with a Cause.” Fortunately for inRegister, there are numerous women in our community who give their time, energy and resources to lead and support worthy endeavors. This year’s issue reveals eight amazing women who volunteer in vastly different areas but who share a passion for organizations whose work they value deeply. We salute them and all the women who are making good things happen in our city.

If Christmas music warms your heart, you will want to catch one of the “Home for the Holidays” Christmas concerts being offered by the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra. In its 65th season, the symphony welcomes Dan Borné, the voice of Tiger Stadium, to the stage to read ” ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Members of BRSO also perform Christmas Brass concerts at area churches—a great family tradition. For more information visit brso.org.

From all of us at inRegister magazine, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!