The countdown begins
Mar. 9th, 2003 01:29 pmIn thirty days, I turn 31. This means I can finally join
ljover30 (I suppose I could have joined last April 8, but the name of the community, to me, implied that it's for folks 31 years old and up). It also means that all those surveys that have "26-30" as an age range will now be harder to fill out on autopilot.
I dunno why it occurred to me today. But for some reason, it just popped into my head. I never really gave a shit about my 30th birthday (although it was a thoroughly enjoyable time, spent in Arizona with family and much good food). It just didn't strike me as much of a milestone. It's not like 21, when a fake ID becomes meaningless, or 18, when the right to have your vote not count officially goes into effect. Or thirteen, where you become a Bar Mitzvah (or a Bas/Bat Mitzvah, or get confirmed in other religions). It's just a number ending in "0."
But for some reason, 31 seems to be looming more. I don't know why. Maybe because "30" still seems attached to my 20's, just the tail end of the carefree decade (I know it's just as bogus as the whole Millennium thing -- I had a year zero, just like anyone else). And 31 starts the decade of life ending at 40. And that's always seemed like a milestone, and not necessarily a good one. It brings on prostate exams, other cancer scares, hair loss even for those of use who've made it through the first half of life with a good head of hair. And whereas I'm now, in theory, less than halfway through my lifespan, by the end of the next decade, I'll be past the halfway mark.
*shrug* I dunno why this is bothering me. But I want to get this stuff out of my system before next month.
I dunno why it occurred to me today. But for some reason, it just popped into my head. I never really gave a shit about my 30th birthday (although it was a thoroughly enjoyable time, spent in Arizona with family and much good food). It just didn't strike me as much of a milestone. It's not like 21, when a fake ID becomes meaningless, or 18, when the right to have your vote not count officially goes into effect. Or thirteen, where you become a Bar Mitzvah (or a Bas/Bat Mitzvah, or get confirmed in other religions). It's just a number ending in "0."
But for some reason, 31 seems to be looming more. I don't know why. Maybe because "30" still seems attached to my 20's, just the tail end of the carefree decade (I know it's just as bogus as the whole Millennium thing -- I had a year zero, just like anyone else). And 31 starts the decade of life ending at 40. And that's always seemed like a milestone, and not necessarily a good one. It brings on prostate exams, other cancer scares, hair loss even for those of use who've made it through the first half of life with a good head of hair. And whereas I'm now, in theory, less than halfway through my lifespan, by the end of the next decade, I'll be past the halfway mark.
*shrug* I dunno why this is bothering me. But I want to get this stuff out of my system before next month.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-03-09 07:26 pm (UTC)I don't "feel" 44, whatever that means. I mostly like where I am now. Although on the rare occasions I'm one of the younger people around it's kinda weird; I don't notice when I'm an older one, i guess.
Things change... but that's what makes life interesting. *hugs*