It’s official; only ninety-nine days left until I’m 40. I’m down to double digits. Yikes! I remember one night when I was a teenager and I had Paul (my high school sweetheart and future husband) over to my house. I didn’t have my driver’s license yet, so my mother had to give him a ride home. In the 1980’s, there was a popular TV show entitled, Thirty Something. It was my mom’s favorite show. Vivid in my memory lives my mother walking into the living room and saying to Paul, “I have to take you home now. I want to be back in time for Thirty Something, because I’m thirty something!” After that, she giggled and walked away.
How is it that I remember my mother as thirty something, and I now only have 99 days of thirty something left? Where did the time go? Should I put together a thirty-something bucket list? If so, what should be on it? I’m freaking out a little. Why? It’s just a number, right? Out with the old; in with the new, right? Maybe I need to set my thoughts on all the good things that can happen beginning at age 40. Hmmmm let’s see…
- The gravitational pull of body parts? (No, that isn’t good.)
- The ever-increasing and deepening lines on my face? No, that isn’t good either. (Oh yeah, I said I was going to embrace those.)
- The beginning of menopausal symptoms. (Oh for crying out loud!!!)
I’m just teasing. I’m okay… really, I am. I’m going to leave my thirties celebrating a decade in which I received major miracles as gifts from the Lord. I’m going to welcome 40 in faith of a growing ministry with brand new beginnings yet to be revealed. I’m going to make my 40’s count for something great! Yay for new beginnings! Yay for only ninety-nine days left of thirty-something.
Jen, I’m enjoying your blog. (I’m a friend of Paul). Here’s a quick related story: I remember being a kid in elementary school and discussing the year 2000. I calculated how old I would be on New Year’s Eve of 1999/2000: 33 years old. At that time, my dad was exactly 33 years old, and I distinctly remember thinking “Wow, in 2000 I’ll be as old as my dad is now.” At that time, of course, I thought 33 was OLD. But when 30 rolled around, and then 33 (Y2K), I wasn’t nearly as “old” as I had perceived my dad to be when I was 9 🙂
Hi Brian. I love your story. Its true, when we reach the ages our parents were, it doesn’t seem so “old” anymore. LOL Thanks so much for reading my blog!
You can always use my husband’s theory. No matter how old he gets, he is ok with it because I am older than him (by 2 yrs). So no matter how old you get, Paul will always be older than you.
LOL I like that theory:).