My Convertible Life

Monday, December 10, 2012

Forty

There's a scene in When Harry Met Sally (which I watched at least 847 times in high school and college) where Sally is sobbing on her bed with Harry about how her ex-boyfriend is getting married and he never really loved her. In the course of her tissue-laden despair, she chokes out the following exchange:

"And I'm going to be 40," Sally sobs.

"When?" Harry asks, puzzled.

"[Sniff, sniff] Some day," she wails.

I used to quote that line all the time with my friends (who also watched the movie 847 times) and laugh because 40 just seemed so impossibly old and far away. Until it wasn't.

Because "some day" turned out to be yesterday.

Just like that I'm 40. And I'm here to tell you that it is SO not at all old.

Everyone keeps asking me how I'm doing. But between the surprise tickets for a date night to see Shawn Colvin (my husband is amazing), sleeping in both days of the weekend (ibid), a pile of cards and well-wishes from my family and friends, and the birthday cake ambushes at our neighborhood Christmas party (complete with a rockstar 80s soundtrack) and my office (I'm very gullible), 40 is turning out to be a lot of fun.

Looking back to my teens and early 20s, I'm not sure where I thought I'd be at 40, so I have no way of knowing if I've arrived. What I do know is that I have a wonderful husband, two beautiful (albeit obnoxious) children, parents and family who love me, a fairly healthy body (thanks in no small part to a kick-ass neighborhood boot camp), really wonderful friends, a good part-time job, a lovely (if messy) house, and too many other blessings to count.

So take that, 40. You don't scare me at all.


8 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday. I turned 40 2 years ago and handled it horribly. You're smarter, wiser, and better in your forties. I bet shawn colvin was great

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    1. Shawn Colvin was really good -- she's funny, too, in a self-deprecating kind of way. Glad to know it only took you two years to recover ;)

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  2. Happy, happy Birthday! Looks like you had a glorious day! I hit 39 last month, so it's good to hear that 40 ain't so bad/weird/life ending lol! I think my main anxiety about it is that I feel like I haven't done what I wanted/hoped/hallucinated I would/should do by 40. Well, good news is I have 11 months to win that Oscar, write that best selling novel, star in my own reality show, and become independently wealthy. Ha and ha, ha!

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    Replies
    1. What?! Did you skip a grade or something? And yes - I feel the next 11 months will be record-breaking for you!

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  3. "Who is the DOG in this scenario?"
    "You are."
    "I am. I am the dog. I am the DOG.?!"

    Ahhh, hubs and I still quote WHMS all the time. Still my favorite movie.

    Happy happy belated 40th. It sounds like it was fab. I freaked out at 30 - 40 is not far off and I am not sure how I will handle it!!!

    ReplyDelete

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