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I have a friend Gail just like Oprah has a friend Gayle.

Their names are spelled differently, but they are the same kind of friends.

They tell us stuff.

Stuff we might not know about life and getting older.

Gail said to me a while ago, "One of the things I hate most about aging is alligator skin."

I had never even heard of alligator skin.

I had never even thought of my skin EVER resembling an alligator's.

Later that day, my eyes caught a pattern on the side of my calf.

Something I hadn't noticed before.

Alligator skin.

Yep.

I did some research.

Not much info.

One blogger suggested: "Hydrate."

Gail says lotion helps some, but it doesn't make the alligator skin disappear.

I think she's right.

Mine seems here to stay.

So I guess it's time to embrace my patches of alligator skin.

Or perhaps it's crocodile skin.

Bernard Waber, author of the wonderful picture books about Lyle the Crocodile, died on May 16. Waber created one of the world's finest literary characters, Lyle the Crocodile.

Lyle is not the type to sit around and grump.

He tackles life with gusto.

Even when the chips are down, you seldom see him frown.

And he seems quite content in his crocodile skin.

I'm going to work hard to be content, too.

After all, alligator/crocodile skin makes us all a bit more like lovable Lyle.

- Barbara Younger

Barbara Younger writers an upbeat, witty blog, Friend for the Ride: Encouraging Words for the Menopause and Midlife Roller Coaster. Healthline placed Friend for the Ride on its list of Best Menopause Blogs of 2013.