The older they are, the harder they fall

Wondertwin and I have started tracking our clumsiness lately. Wondertwin is a good friend of mine whom I, from time to time with the right diet and a good hair day, resemble. In the last year, we've both been falling down a lot. And no, our falls do not correlate with the opening of 3 new wine bars in our neighborhood in the same time period.

"Do you remember how, when we were kids, we would fall down all the time and just get back up. No bruises. Nothing." Wondertwin wistfully reminisced over wine at said wine bar one afternoon. "Now, when I fall down, I end up with bruises, scars, scrapes, perhaps even a lingering injury. Could it be that the older we get, the harder we fall?"

"Maybe," I suggested, "We're just more top heavy now that we're adults." Wishful thinking. Sadly, the likelihood of this being true is nil since neither of us wear much more than a training bra. Top heavy, I wish.

"I think we just don't bounce so well anymore."

This has been a year of bounces gone wrong for Wondertwin and me. It started about a year ago when Wondertwin broke her foot casually walking through a parking garage. Then, at the beginning of the year, I fell off a motorcycle I was test riding. Ouch! That left a big mark! At Easter, I did a face plant in a "Mom vs. Kids" kickball game. Then Wondertwin took a tumble the following month while running a 5K. This month, we both are bruised and battered. Me from slipping on water tracked through the house by kids after swimming in the backyard pool. Bruised face and knee. She, bruise and scabby rash down one leg, resulting from a surfing incident.

I've decided we're looking at this all wrong by labeling ourselves as clumsy. I mean, how many women our age are riding motorcycles and surf boards? Perhaps, instead of trying to hide our hideous bruises with fake tan spray, we should celebrate our "war wounds." That's what they are after all, war wounds. We're fighting aging through risky and adventurous pursuits. We should be proud and wear our bruises, scrapes and casts with pride.

Black and blue could be the new Black!