Every time I turn around someone is telling me that something is the new something else. Teal's the new black, Zumba's the new aerobics, Rachel Ray's the new Martha, and some older age is always the new younger age (30 is the new 20, 50 is the new 40), whatever.
With my 40th birthday just come and gone, everyone was saying "40's the new 30" and I just have to ask -- is that supposed to make me feel better? What the hell does that really mean, anyway? From my perspective, this just proves that expectations for my generation are about 10 years slower than they were for my parents. If 70 is the new 50, does this mean that we'll have to continue working until we're 90 before we're able to retire? Maybe 30's the new 20 because it takes a lot of students 7+ years to graduate from college, so that's when people are getting their first jobs. How is this a good thing? I'm sorry, I just don't find that very reassuring at all!
So, I'm launching a campaign to take 40 back and re-seat it in it's rightful chronological place at the beginning of middle-age. 40 is the time when our children start to become more independent, and our friendships get back to being our friendships (rather than those based exclusively on our kids' school placement), and our views become a bit more conservative or reserved. Of course, it's also the time when our bodies start to resist change (i.e. don't show results as quickly as they used to), our eyes begin to fail us (reading glasses will be appearing around the necks of our friends more and more regularly), and we slow down just a little bit. I'm here to embrace that -- all of it! And so, regardless of the next great surgical invention that will keep us young forever, I'm here to tell you - 40 is still 40...and I'm okay with that.
Hope you all had a great Mother's Day...I'm going to grab a Snuggie and curl up on the couch for a nice late-morning nap.
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haha. great post. I think i should be offended tho since I did say that on FB. I also said brown is the new black. sue me.
ReplyDeleteFunny...I almost wrote "40 is the new 30" on your card, but for some reason thought, 'naaa...not for Lorraine.' And I wrote something really generic instead.
ReplyDelete-Julie
I say whatever your age, own it! Don't let the number define you :)
ReplyDeleteWell I see a lot of liposuction and microdermabrasion in my near future so for me....40 is the new 20, ugh 27! It's great being a gay man (who also happens to live in the plastic surgery capital of the world)!
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