A little pity party here.

I remember when I was little and felt complimented if someone thought I was older than my age. I was "all grown up."

MS has sucked a lot of life out of this body of mine.

Now I look old for my age and it is not just the mirror and my vanity speaking.

When I go out and friends, family, and strangers want to talk to me, I get the same comments.

I keep quiet because I do know their hearts are in the right place. I cannot stop their words without them becoming uncomfortable. I have just learned to nurse my ego and move forward.

I repeat, some should know better. I have told them and of course, they feel badly and completely understand the mistake. Some I just let it go, it is not as if I talk to them with any frequency.

As I said, their hearts are to be judged not their lack of understanding

But no matter what I am compared to their mother (these are people MY AGE who talk about their mothers) or people who are a bit younger that talk about their grandmother.

And people in their 80's use the term "we" when talking to me.

I am 55 years old. So many of my peers are healthy, wealthy and enjoying their empty nests.

I always thought I would be one of them.

It is not so bad to be me except for the totally innocent comments of people just trying to be nice and sympathize by using people in their 80's to relate.

My latest rant comes from going to my local fitness center to try a yoga class, to adjust it to stretch using my rollator as a companion. I know it prompted a stranger to refer to her 75 year old mother.

I do not fault her but yet, it was hard enough to walk into such a place with my contraption.

Just a vent. Sometimes I need to get it out in order to move forward.