Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Hello Downward Slide

Yesterday I turned 35. Does any age say "adulthood" with more resounding authority than 35? As much as I hate to admit it, I guess I am now a real adult. Or at least people expect me to be a real adult. I don't know if that will be a bigger problem for me or for them. I'll keep you posted. I am not alone in considering this a milestone age. The founding fathers took 35 to be an age of maturity and responsibility. As of yesterday morning I am now old enough to make a bid for the presidency. Not that I will. Probably for the best too, but I digress.
For some reason 35 has hit a cord with me. I didn't feel old when I turned 30. I have only occasionally felt old since then, and usually it isn't age related. For example, I have felt old when I realized my babysitter was born just before I graduated high school. Yikes. I am old enough to be her unwed teenage mother. If she had one, that is. At any rate, I hadn't felt old. In fact, quite the opposite. I usually feel young, then have to reset my frame of reference when I realize 34 is not especially young. Still, for whatever reason it sounds so much younger.
Well, as I start checking the next age bracket on questionnaires, I have to come to terms with the fact that we all get older. Each day is one more step in our slow march toward death. And on that happy note, I'm off to mourn the loss of my youth.

No comments:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...