Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Forty, shorty and bingoing

I always thought that the mid life crisis was a myth. An excuse for middle aged men to buy a fancy sports car, have some sort of hair replacement procedure and find arm candy younger than their own kids. A time for middle aged women to start on their plastic surgery wish list, wear bright pink and purple hats with boas and walk around in high heals with a cocktail. Of course these are things I thought were true when I was much, much, much younger.  Like "Macaulay Culkin" young in Home Alone before he got all Emo and became a pothead.




My roaring twenties was really more of a hushed rush to finish school and start a career.


My thirties were an odd mixture of flirty and thriving. Finding a new relationship, battling infertility and finally becoming a mom at a later age than I would have wished for.

Now that I have hit the big 40, I think about where I was, how far I have come and where I'm headed. I am more comfortable in my own skin, even if parts are stretched out and flabbier than a 90 year old's triceps. I'm still learning new things, meeting new people and staying active. And by active, I do not mean running marathons or even running errands. I generally just don't do any kind of running. I do less less sitting on the couch and watching TV. It's the iPad now, get with the digital age.

But it does mean more family activities and adventures outside the house, trying for date night more than once a month, getting more involved with a new mom's group, adding to my bucket list and finding activities that allow me to get away for a bit and just be me. That might mean hanging out with my girlfriends at a wine bar drinking the best peach tea learning about wine, going glow-bowling and dancing like a bunch of 80's music lovin' freaks, or a "quiet" night of bingo, blobbing away at random numbers, laughing at "O69" and getting grossed out by pannus pictures while stuffing popcorn in our faces.

I am finding that going over that hill and getting on in years isn't so bad. I am finally figuring out that I cannot continue to work hard without playing hard every once in a while. I may not be as thin or as tall as I used to be, or even have the same energy level, but this momma still has some spunk and life in her.


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