Gail must confront multiple aspects of the aging process throughout the narrative, and the gulf between her expectations of aging and its reality repeatedly strikes her. While she understood that her body would change as she got older, she does not experience physical changes in the way that she thought she would. The expectations that she once held for her career trajectory as it neared its conclusion are shattered, and she is forced to re-think who she is as a professional woman. Her familial relationships change, and she is unsure of how to transition from daughter to caretaker as her mother ages. Finally, aging catalyzes a newfound spirit of contemplation, and Gail realizes that she has new, not entirely welcome interpretations of her past as she approaches older age.

Gail is disappointed by her appearance at multiple points during the narrative. At one point, she invokes the unkind adage “mutton dressed as lamb” to describe what she might look like if she were to dress more ostentatiously for Debbie’s wedding (18). She confronts her reflection in the mirror with chagrin, noting that no one prepares women for the fact that as they age, there will be good days and bad days.