I will be 45 years old in a few months. My demographic age group will change to the 45-49 range. My next milestone birthday will be 50. I am considered middle aged but that's only if the average life span is 90 which it's not; it's younger, making me past middle aged. All of this means the obvious. I am getting old. There is also the physical evidence; the fine lines (OK maybe a little more than fine) and the gray hair. No stopping it. But the truth is I have never felt better.
Right now, my daily grind provides me with a most wonderful opportunity. Every day when I go to work, I am surrounded by young ones, millenials, twenty somethings, almost thirty somethings. And I swear, it is the best kept secret for staying young.
There are times I look at them as the young women I know they are. I see my 20 something self in them. Those are the times I want to say, "Don't make the same mistakes we did when we were your age.'' I know I can't stop them. For some reason, I have confidence that they absolutely won't make those mistakes or they will but on different terms, maybe even on their own terms. Sometimes I look at them as if they were my daughter. (Possible scenario but not a likely one). I even say, "If you were my daughter,.......". They listen to my lectures and then we move on. Some of the time, I try to share my wisdom; the wisdom I have accrued by living life a few more years more than them. I can be cynical at times. They listen. They get it. They are realists. But they are hopeful too. I can't wait to watch them grow up and see where the paths that they have created will take them. They are not the same twenty-somethings of years past. They are different and wonderful and it is exciting times.
Whatever they get from hanging with me, I get so much more in return. They have provided me with a much needed fountain of youth. Somehow, I can fit right in there with them. And when I am off with something, they subtly let me know. Mostly they encourage me. Bootcut jeans may be the new Mom jeans but I am a mom and that's ok. I will wear skinnies too. And ripped ones if I want. "Can I pull it off?" I ask them. Hell yeah!
Surround Yourself With 20 Something's When You're a 40 Something. Here's why-....
1) I will have many 30 year old birthday celebrations to attend.
2) I no longer think I have ADD. (I was just born 15 years too early)
3) My car is the cleanest (?)
4) They think I'm the coolest mom
5) Hair/makeup/shoes/accessories. One time my friend's daughter pointed
out how excited she was that we were wearing the same shorts. She's 11.
(They weren't exactly the same!). So I dress like a kid sometimes. And I have a fedora. And converse. And ripped jeans.
6) I live a little freer these days
7) I take the leaps a little more often
8) I view them sometimes as my daughters. I pray for them to have bright futures. I know in my heart they will.
9)
I SO admire their swagger, their smarts, their sense of self. They'll
make the same mistakes us 40 year olds did.They'll recover like we did
too. The difference will be in that they'll do it all in style; smoothly, swiftly, wisely.
10) My 50th birthday is going to ROCK!!!
