The Observer Newspapers | Over Which Hill, Exactly?

June 13, 2008

Over Which Hill, Exactly?

I have a fantastic ability to completely forget my age except for the few days just before and just after my birthday. This characteristic held true this year, even with all my friends pestering me about how I wanted to celebrate my 40th.

I never did make a decision about the celebration, but in the form of truly great friends that didn't hold them back. People who enjoy a good party never hesitate to take advantage of a good reason to get together, do they?

So I was showered with black party favors, people wearing black and many welcomes and condolences for joining the club of those "over the hill." The thing is, I feel the same today as I did last year, and the year before. What hill did I go over, exactly?

They say 40 is the new 30, and I'm going to amend that to say 40 is the new 25, because aside from having to get up a whole lot earlier and living on a lot less sleep, I don't feel like I've changed much since I graduated from college.

Some of my best friends have been people who were way out of my age group. I often found better friendships in my friends' parents than I did in my friends, and I think it was because there are some people who simply forget about their age, no matter what age they are.

You are living your life to its fullest if you don't spend all your time worrying about getting older or about all those things you haven't done yet. For anyone who feels like they're getting older, my sage advice is this: Forget about it, at least for another year.