40-Somethings

Soon I will be joining this new group called the 40-somethings, and leaving behind the memories of my 30's. Memories of giving birth, potty training my daughter (took about 2+ years); begging her to stop using the Binkies (She always had two at any time); dealing with the daycare blues (that was me, sad, when I had to leave Aziza at daycare); seeing her off to Kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade; the horrible haircuts I got because I couldn't find a decent hairdresser; and then there's the awful, loser men I met during my 30's that thought they were datable. Thirties, not all bad though: my daughter came into the world (my greatest achievement to date),I decided to go back to school (twice), returned to writing after a long creative hiatus, reconnected with many old friends, took my daughter to Disney World, and I learned to let go of bad relationships.

Moving into the 40's though will be full of many new but maybe not so wonderful things. For instance, the tiny lines around my eyes are here to stay. Even though the Neutrogena Eye Cream is amazing, it doesn't work miracles. Also, I went to the doctor last week for a check up, and she looked at my upcoming age of 40 (in May) and said, "Oh, you need to go get a mammography now that you're going to be 40." Should I have stood up and cheered, "YAY! I'm 40 and now, finally, I can go get that long-awaited mammography!" Not quite. I was more like, "Oh, is it time for that? Great..."

My sister has all these things happening to her now that she's 45, soon to be 46, and she keeps telling me, "Just wait, this will happen to you too." Is she wishing this on me, hexing me? What's the deal with the "Hey, get ready for your 40-somethings doom!" I don't know, you do the best you can to take care of yourself, and then just go with the natural flow of how your body changes. Some things we can fight but some things we just have to say, "Okay, bring it on!"

Not all of becoming 40 is a bad thing. There's this feeling of "Hey, I did it, I made it through the 30-somethings!" With that comes a feeling of liberation and greater acceptance of oneself, as you embrace a new phase in your life. Even better, I've also heard that women in their 40's have the same sex drive of men in their 20's. Wow, maybe my 40's will be the breakthrough decade for me! But wait, does that mean I'll need to be having sex with a 20-somethings so we're on the same playing field? Hmmm, definitely something to think about.

All in all, I feel great as I approach my 40th birthday, knowing that I will be sitting on a beach that weekend, watching the waves roll in and out, admiring the orange glow of the sun setting on the ocean waters, and thinking about how wonderful it feels to be 40.