This Stage of Life

Monday, January 2, 2012
I love this stage of life: New Years house party and I can wear sweatpants if I want. And all I get are envious looks!
This was posted on Facebook by my sista-from-another-mista The Mechanicky Gal the day before yesterday, and it served to remind me of something I need to work harder at remembering: This is the best time of my life. This - right now, my middle age.

My life is no longer an unlimited plethora of professional possibilities. It's exceedingly unlikely that I'll ever go to law school, compete in the Olympics, or become an astronaut. But I've spent a significant number of years in service to my country and fellow citizens. I've grown into a profession where I contribute to the society in which I live (however indirectly). I continue to learn and grow both academically and professionally.

I'm no longer the hot young hottie I once was. Time marches on, and the fact that it's doing so across my skin is simply a fact of life. But I'm in the best physical shape of my life. I'm approaching my eleventh anniversary of being a non-smoker. I'm beginning to accept with grace the reality of what it means for my body to grow older. And my silver locks rock the house.

In the last twenty years, I've chosen to significantly prune my family tree - an operation that has resulted in a great deal of pain and distress for me. But I'm blessed by the family that remains, and doubly blessed by my "family of choice," those people who I choose to love like family, and love me the same way.

But perhaps the best part of this stage of life is that if, like The Mechanicky Gal, I want to wear sweatpants to my house party, I can. And the people who share my life will in fact be envious rather than judgey. Which doesn't mean, of course, that I'm not filled with glee at the thought of wearing a supremely well-fitting, age-appropriate outfit that hearkens back to my Hottie McHotterson days. Because I am. But the choice is mine, and not predicated on what others might think. That level of self-confidence, of knowing who I am and choosing my course of action based on that self-knowledge instead of the expectations of others - that is what's making this the best stage of life.

Middle age: The reward for all the mistakes we make when we're young and stupid. I'll take it.

2 comments:

Stacey said...

I'm with you. Please don't make me repeat my 20's and 30's. I'll take the stamina, but not the other stuff. I'm much more confident and laid back and enjoy myself and my friends more.

Random Michelle K said...

Stacy, I'm all but certain if I had to go through my teens and twenties again, I wouldn't survive.

But like Janiece, I'm enjoying who I am RIGHT NOW. Because one never knows what tomorrow might bring.