When I was 41, I wrote this open letter to people in their twenties. It was about the shock of entering middle-age, which you'd think would happen gradually, but actually happens one Tuesday morning when you wake up with a wretched hangover and suddenly realize you are far too old to be ever waking up with wretched hangovers on Tuesday mornings. And you suddenly understand that if wretched Tuesday hangovers are out, a lot of other stuff is probably also out—and a bunch of serious stuff is probably going to be coming in to replace it.
Saturday I will be 47, and I can report that most of it is OK with me most days.
Happy Birthday in advance Dave – hope you get to celebrate it with Pat & Tommy this weekend And don’t worry–you’ll be 50 soon and you’ll focus more on your own mortality instead of feeling nostalgic about your youth. When Scout heads into her 20’s, you’ll want her to not think one bit about her 40’s but live every moment in a youthful, naive, idealistic way. I guess it’s never too late to start doing that (after the hangover of course).
Well, that’s the thing about people in their 20s. They NEVER think about their 40s, no matter what you tell them to do, and it’s one of their greatest strengths. (That, and the ability to drink an ocean without getting a hangover.)
Thanks, Mary Kay. I do look forward to seeing Pat and Tommy, with whom I am forever 27.