Eating Crow (Or, How to Ingest the Reality of Getting Older)

by Valerie Gillies

“In the course of my life, I have often had to eat my words, and I must confess that I have always found it a wholesome diet”  – Sir Winston Churchill

I have long fancied myself to be a natural woman.  Having worn denim for a larger percentage of my days than all other fibers combined, never having changed the color of my hair, succeeding in four unmedicated childbirths (like it was some sort of contest), remembering with grimaced face the few times I have been peer-pressured into manicures.  For over 50 years, I have run pretty much on my own steam, glorifying in how well this machine was holding up, how tough and independent I could be.  Well, baby, it’s now time for me to take her in for the 50,000 mile checkup, and I’m not liking it.  […]