Where did the time go?

At the risk of sounding like a cliché, where in the world did the time go? It wasn't so long ago that I was a vibrant, attractive woman that people found interesting and engaging, someone fun and relevant. Now? I suddenly feel marginalized, old, washed out, and invisible, a gray, shapeless blob, barely noticeable by anyone. Two weeks ago the New Year rang in 2024, and I realized with a start that my parents have been dead for five years, and I am no longer anyone's daughter; in fact, I am fast approaching 70 and am no longer needed by my children or grandchildren. Loved, yes.  Needed, no. And my husband? Yes, he loves me and I love him, we are comfortable (sometimes too much so), and know each other so well we practically finish each other's sentences; we need each other for so many reasons. Passion and desire and excitement, however, have left the building. Inside I am still a woman aching to be noticed, to be sought after, to be desired, but my body has betrayed me and laughs at my attempts to be pretty again. Pretty--that adjective has an expiration date and no longer applies after you become "a woman of a certain age."