Friday, July 10, 2009

Arrested Development

D'you know... I frequently forget how old I am? Seriously.
I have to do this little counting on my fingers thing and check the current calendar year to see if it's even or odd.

My mother will tell you that this is because I simply don't know how to act my age.

I put it to you that, I really don't know what that is.

In one of the other Girl's comment trails I wrote "Never Grow up! Never surrender!!" It may have been a glib Galaxy Quest-based sentiment in the moment I wrote it, but - you know what? - I'm gonna stand by it.

I don't feel a particular age. I never have. I always felt way older than my chronology-to-date warranted when I was in grade school, and then -- ever since university -- I've always felt waaaayyy younger. I'm good with that. I really do think that age is a state of mind and with the state my mind has been in lately - who knows how old I am!?? This morning, I was antideluvian... this afternoon, toddleresque.

This is certainly not to say that I don't enjoy a good birthday bash (I think I said in one of the other other Girl's comment trails that I firmly believe in celebrating moments large and small). Fortunately, I have birthday-madness-perpetrating people in my life. For one of my birthdays ending in "0", John arranged an 18-hour party for me based on the movie Ferris Beuller's Day Off with pre-arranged meeting spots at destinations all over the city -- the CN Tower, the museum, the art gallery, the race-track, a couple of pubs -- for friends to meet up with us as the day progressed. He even sound-tracked it. He is awesome.

For my latest birthday ending in "0", I celebrated in New York (having just landed a publishing deal there, it seemed appropriate). Unbeknownst to me, John had arranged to have two dear friends fly down with us for the festivities (one of whom shocked the hell outta me by appearing out of nowhere and climbing into the car as we were stopped at a light in the pre-dawn gloom on the way to the airport -- all cleverly arranged, I tell you - "Lock your car doors, people!")! Did I mention the awesomness?

So yes. I celebrate the birthdays. But I just don't keep really close track of the numbers. Does that make sense?

3 comments:

Doug A Scott said...

I seriously envy yours and Jon's uncanny ability to arrange seriously cool stuff for each other's birthdays. Lynn has a birthday ending in "0" this August and I can really think of anything, well, special. The best I can come up with is, "Um, here's a cake." :-/

Jillian Cantor said...

I like the way you think! What does age mean anyway?

Maureen Lipinski said...

You should come to Chicago and do another Ferris Bueller party!