A client of mine is an 81 years old woman and in her home there's a painting of herself naked from when she was young. She misses her youth and beauty. She said we really should cherish our youth and health so I asked her which years were the most enjoyable in life and she said our 40s because that's when we've truly matured. She's had 3 husbands, she's lost a lot of people in very abrupt and upsetting ways, she's been attacked by two dogs and almost died (lost 8 teeth in the process) but because the dogs owner was a rich business owner she didn't get justice, she's had two aneurisms so now she can't walk much and it frustrates her a lot, she thinks it's very important to learn how to drive and know how to do business as a woman and she says that the minute you get sick men abandon you. She offered me a beer, complained about not knowing how to use a computer and that she only started smocking at 40 when she met a man who introduced her to it. She says she doesn't want to stop because she's too bored and smoking keeps her busy. She says she's a great cook but can't be bothered anymore. She finds it tedious. She only likes cooking for big occasions like Christmas otherwise sometimes she just skips eating altogether. She's noticed that she's been forgetting things a lot lately. She remembers when the summers weren't as hot.
