If life begins at 40, what happens at 39?

I’m 39 today.  39!  How can that be?  It’s so…mature sounding.  And altogether all too near to (whisper it) 40.  How can I be nearly 40?!  It’s so grown up, so responsible. 

I don’t remember setting myself any ‘by I’m 40’ goals, and isn’t that a good job with only 364 days to achieve them if I did.  I’ve only just got my head round a fake date of birth to give if I was asked my (under 18) age in the pub, and now I’ve got a year left to be in my thirties.

I was 13 when Mother turned 40, and it seemed like a terribly old age.  She didn’t seem terribly old, although I do remember giving some grief about all my friends having younger mums (I was the youngest and they were all the oldest), but it seemed like a ripe old age to me.  And here I am, one year away from it with a five year old, and not feeling any kind of ripe old age at all.

I suppose I shouldn’t declare my age publicly.  What if I want to pretend I‘m actually only 35?  Or better still, 25?  I think I’d be pushing it there!  But it’s just that 39 sounds like I should be so capable and experienced, and the truth is that at times I’m neither.  Although sometimes I think I’m the oldest old biddy there is.  I’ve been trying to come up with a list to see whether I’m 19 or 90 at heart…

My last clothes shop was in Primark

…but I’ve bought in BHS recently

I wear sparkly nail varnish

…but I moan about how difficult it is to take off

I listen to Radio Two

…every day

I took a neatly folded bag for life out with me on my sisterly Christmas shopping day

…but I did have two glasses of wine with lunch

I wore my first false eyelashes this week

…but had a ‘malfunction’ halfway through the night

I appear to be obsessed with reed room fragrancers

I bought a loose bottomed cake tin on a whim

I embarrassed Daughter by falling out of a sleigh (completely sober)

I bought a bottle of pink fizz to drink while I was getting ready to go out on my birthday night out

…it’s still in the fridge

I try and keep boxes, tins and various other containers ‘in case they come in handy’

…but Husband doesn’t let me

 

Oh my.  I’ve answered my own question.  I’ve the mind of a 90 year old trapped in a 39 year old body!

Right, you’ll have to excuse me.  I’m just nipping out to Our Price to buy the latest tunes and I might pop into Chelsea Girl for a new outfit.  What’s that you say..?!