It's become a joke among my friends that whenever someone asks me how old someone is, I always say, "Um, probably mid-30s." It's true. That's how old I think everybody is. Sometimes I'll switch it up and say, "Um, I think he's mid-30s, but he looks older than that."
Seriously. I bet I use one of those phrases at least once a week. My friends have come to understand that I am absolutely NO judge of age. (So why do they keep asking me? I have no idea.)
Anyway, in just the last week alone, three things have happened that have made me feel ancient. Here they are, in no particular order:
My friend Lisa's son DJ is in first grade. His teacher is married, just had her first baby, has a master's degree and has been teaching for a few years already. Seems like she'd be about 30, but no. Guess when she was born. WAIT FOR IT. 1984. When Lisa told me that, I almost cried. What had I done by the time I was 27? Gotten married and been working at the phone company for five years. ACES.
I met the adorable Kelley of The Eclectic Owl at the Lisa Leonard event in Birmingham a couple of months ago. I took one look at her and thought, "Oh my GOSH. She is CUTE as a BUTTON. I'm sure she's in her mid-30s, but she looks REALLY young for her age." Come to find out when I got to know her a little bit, she's 25. Twenty-five. She doesn't look young for her age. SHE'S JUST YOUNG.
And the final slap in the face: On the radio the other morning, the DJs were talking with their interns about the dating world. One DJ asked the 23-year-old intern if he would date a Cougar, and the intern said, "I think so, yeah." And then the DJ asked him what constituted a Cougar in his mind. And he answered, "Oh, ya know, over 30."
OVER 30? Hold me.
9 comments:
We went on a date a few weeks ago to see a movie for this first time in AGES. It was Tron. (I was earning husband points, what can I say?)
About mid-way through the movie, as I was ogling the young star, my husband said, "Honey, you're biologically old enough to be his mother."
Yep. Where's my walker?
What until your sons are in their 30's, you been issued an AARP card and your hubby takes early retirement! THEN you feel old. I think the biggest "old" moment was when I began to "take care of my mother". I am presently the age she was when my dad died. I have been married 3 yrs longer than my parents, when he died. I AM OLD! sniff, sniff!
My walker is in the closet and I keep a beautiful cane in the kitchen and one in the van...just in case it's a BAD day. Today's a good one!
You are NOT old! Just experienced in many areas.
Beckie
My mom would say 'seasoned' not old. By the way...I will be thirty this year. :) It doesn't seem like I should be old enough to be 30. In my mind my siblings are still mid 30's so it can be possible for me to be that old. But all of them have left their 30's behind.
I participated in a Monday night book study last fall (with Patrice). One night, probably in the first or second week, we were doing an icebreaker. I was surrounded by all of these lovely women whom I just assumed were 'about my age.' Since I've almost always been the youngest one in the room (I graduated high school shortly after turning 17), I was surprised (more in the "shocked" than the "oh, that's so nice!" kind of way) to learn that I was, in fact, the oldest.
[Sorry for that total run-on sentence. I can hear you cringing all the way from here.]
Something else that reminds me of how old I am? When the students I used to work with get married, have babies, and turn 30. Creak, pop, groan...
Why must you bring up painful things like this. I need to go take some geritol.
I am with you on the "mid 30s" because that is how old I am, so everyone is my age, right? Because I am not getting older, everyone is catching up to me, right??? Yeah the scary thing is when you could be the mom of the babysitter who is watching your real kids - yeah that's nice and when you flip on the 90s station on the tv and they don't know a single song or they were 2 - real cool.
I am terrible at guessing people's ages too! I never get it right. Although, I have to say there are people who are worse than me. When my hubby and I were still dating (I think at the time I was 21 and he was 20) I took him to the oral surgeon - he was in pain, so I did all the paperwork. The lady at the front dest called him up to sign something and said, do you want your mom to come back with you - MOM?! There is no way I look old enough to be his mom (not to mention I'm white as a ghost and he is half Puerto Rican). My sisters and him still kid me about that to this day!
I also listen to the radio station and could not believe that intern said 30 was "Cougar aged"! I am creeping up on 30 and I would never say that is old!
Katherine....I am older than you...in my late (very late) 30s and I am just having my 2nd child. We are late bloomers, I know....but when you think about feeling old, be sure to think about me, especially after the C-Section I have in about 8 weeks. I know how you feel!
Erin, well. What can I say about that? Probably something like, "That doesn't keep the MEN from looking, now does it?" ;)
Beckie and Jennifer, when my mom was my age, I was a freshman in high school. THAT makes me feel old. I can't believe I could already be the mom of a high schooler! Freaks me out a little.
Amanda, I read your comment while I was in line waiting to pay at a Mexican restaurant, and it made me laugh out loud. I couldn't stop giggling!
Post a Comment