h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm going to be 40 in a couple of months. With that birthday vanishes any chance I could possibly try to get away with being 'young' as that beloved *3* goes away.

The trouble is, I still feel 17. And as I was always a bit emotionally behind my chronological age, that makes me around 14 years old on the inside. I still like to wear my hair in bunches. I still like to smile sweetly at men and try to wrap them round my finger with charm, I still like to act playful, plus all the dodgy things 14 year olds do. Sulk. Have temper tantrums. Over react.

My nan used to tell me we only grow old on the outside, but what does it all mean?

Do I appear ridiculous, acting the age I *am* while the outside picture shows some aging woman who should really grow up (something I don't think is ever going to happen to me) and act more like someone middle aged? Is this why my nan used to flirt with men and try to get snogs and generally embarrass her grandkids? Cos she was 21. Just happened to be in the body of some old lady.

On the other side, are there people who are approaching 40 with relief because finally they look the age they have always been?

Astrid Lindgren said something along the lines of:

'Some people grow old from the outside and in, and they will always be a child at heart. Some people grow old from the inside and out, and they will never truly have been children.'

My advice is: never grow old on the inside. Astrid surely didn't and would do 'childish' stuff as long as she was agile enough. At her 80ieth birthday she was asked if she wasn't a bit too old to climb in trees. Her response was:

'Surely there is no law against old hags climbing in trees?'

Not sure what Astrid is up to here, brandishing a crowbar:
http://www.sweden.se/upload/Sweden_se/english/articles/SI/2007/Astrid_Lindgren/astrid_lindgren_pomperipossa.jpg

À la Einstein. Astrid would often stick her tongue out to indicate that she found something to be stupid or silly:
http://blogg.dvdforum.nu/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/astrid-lindgren.jpg

Pah... Growing old is for other* people... you stay a teenager.... that is the way we like it and... what's childish about putting your hair in pigtails?
*rearranges hairbands* see... If I can do it no reason why you can't

I'm relying on my children to tell me if necessary.

As you know, I passed that 40 milestone last December. But I haven't stopped wearing my pigtails (or indeed huge flowers in my hair) or miniskirts or totally gorgeous undies (not that anybody except me and DH see these but that's not the point). It took me 25 years to get to a stage where I was comfortable with who I am and how I look and I was certainly not going to abandon it just because I reached a certain age. It's a bit of a bind not having the body of a 17 year old and I don't have the energy I had then but other than that ...

I think the people that really know you and love you will accept how you look and behave however that is. And the people who don't really know and love you don't generally matter. Yes you have to dress and behave differently for job interviews, court appearances etc but for everyday - if you're young on the inside, let it shine through.



Should also point out that having hit 40 I'm now also on track for sorting out home life in a way I wasn't previously able to. And the year I was 39 was such a godawful year that frankly I was glad to see the back of it, which probably helped!

Mol

Thank you for that Titania, I feel a lot better! Although being famous she probably got away with it a bit more than I will!

Also thanks Mol, does it still stand re bunches if I point out they are usually right on the top of my head? Partly this is convenience for work as it makes my hair shorter and stops it getting all matted around my collar, but mainly it's just cos I like it like that.

Funnily enough, it was thinking what I look like to strangers that made me start wondering about it. Do I look like an aged old hag making a tit of herself, am I mutton, acting as lamb? I'm just acting as I always have done, just my smile has grown over my entire face now.

I don't tend to wear miniskirts I have to admit, and am mainly in practical clothes (from the inside out) because of my job and am much too tired to worry about dressing glam to go shopping, or even to see friends.

No mini skirts and ridiculously high heels Us blokes will just pine away without a bit of shapely mature leg to admire.

When you do things like wear bunches when you're older people just think you're an eccentric old lady.

You can get away with far more when you're older I've found, when you do bizarre thing you're just seen to be a bit of a dotty old lady!

Like having a blue rinse, talking about your bunions, farting and pretending not to notice

People approach me when I have silly hair. I think they think that anybody who has hair like that (typically, high bunches, plaited, with the plaits looped round twice and threaded back through the band to create very girly bunches, all topped off with a large gerbera) can't be that scary. So people will talk to me and almost everybody smiles at me. That's a really nice feeling.

I've no objection to being a dotty old lady. I'm already two thirds of the way there. Go for it Mina!

Mol

Farting and pretending not to notice I thought old ladies were supposed to wear their hair in a chignon I'm just jealous because I haven't got any hair, as shinety as a pool ball

Not ready for the blue rinse yet My hair may or may not be going grey, I can't tell from my angle, it still looks light brown to me although I suspect there is at least a stray white hair or two back there, but no blue yet!

I feel much better now, I shall continue to act my age (14-17ish) and leave my aging body to just on with it on its own as long as it doesn't start bothering me.

And I may start thinking about skirts. But I can't promise.

I look forward to that

Aging and your body falling to bits on you is just it's way of finally having it's revenge on you for all the years of abuse

Just a sign of a well spent youth, life is for living, but well

That's what I think - I've only got one go round this merry go round, I'm gonna make the most of it - was perhaps just trying to make sure I didn't end up miserable if people were laughing at me all the time!

Pleasure is the only thing worth living for. And fun. Which is possibly the same thing.

Now I have to as I've got a stupidly busy day at work, but luckily I love my job. It's only my job rather than my hobby because I have to make a living.

Me too, I have clientele to lok after......"I want...you should...I'm going to smash up if I don't get my own way" Worse than kids

catch you tomorrow, maybe

During my busy day I was fending off calls trying to make tomorrow just as busy.

Unfortunately some days I've got one job after another, instead of bunching a few together. I've been in this position before, it's usually only temporary, and over the next few months should change, but it's bloody knackering in the meantime! Then once I've made spaces in the day again, I'll start filling them with the little bitty jobs until I can bunch them together again.

If your going to wear a skirt... then so am I

Well, if *you're* going to wear a skirt...

Phwoar. I love men in skirts.

In that case I'm definitely putting one on

Hmmm... polka dots or stripes? What's a girl to do?