I was at a relative’s house and we were talking about COVID-19 (He called it “that ‘Rona Virus”). As we were on the subject, my older relative (We’ll just call him Jack) goes, “Ya’ll better protect ya’selves…ya middle-aged now!” My husband and I looked at each other, and I say, “Oh, only the older people are getting really sick.” Jack goes, “Yep! And that would be you…they said that the middle-aged is gettin’ it the worse, so ya’ll be careful.” So, we look at each other again with questioning eyes. Then I say, “Why do you keep calling us middle-aged?” Jack goes, “Cause ya are!”
Are You Serious?
He wasn’t laughing, smiling nor joking…Jack was straight-faced and concerned. He said that just because we look and feel young, doesn’t mean we are. So, I took a pause and I said to myself, “Well damn.”
So, I get home and start thinking to myself, “What in the hell is middle-aged anyway?” It just sounds so…what’s the word?…um…OLD! Then, I did what anyone with access to a computer would do. I started googling.
Then, after clicking a few pages, I concluded that middle-aged is defined as anywhere between 40-65. Well damn! Don’t shoot the messenger!
I Am 40
I just turned 40, and I wasn’t prepared to get such words hurled at me after I hit this milestone. I’m OK with my age, but it may take me a moment to adjust to some the terms I’ve never been called before.
I remember a couple years ago, one of my friends (she was 37 or 38 at the time) called me telling me about how the doctor called her Geriatric during her pregnancy exam. Geriatric is the medical term used for anyone the age of 35 years or older who is pregnant– you know, someone who is an advanced maternal age during pregnancy. Let’s be honest…the word just doesn’t sound cute, but it’s the word that the doctor used. We laughed, but deep down, who wants to be called Geriatric?! And who wants to be called middle-aged only three months into turning 40?!
Double Checking
I had to make sure that if I was going to get these terms thrown at me, it should at least be justified. So, I looked a little deeper (Ok. I just clicked the next search page on Google) and this is what I found that matched up to my life at 40.
You Are Middle Aged If
- You need an afternoon nap
- You suddenly start booking more vacations and telling yourself life is too short
- You groan or make a noise when you bend down
- 10 pm is a late night out
- You have no idea what these ‘youngins’ are talking about or rapping about
- You talk a lot about your joints/ailments
- You eat less and exercise more. And that’s just to maintain your weight
- Getting socks for Christmas is much appreciated
- You know your alcohol limit
- You spend more money on face creams/anti-aging products
- You start sounding and acting like your mother or father
- You ask for stuff for the home for your birthday or Christmas
- You convince yourself the finer things in life are worth the investment
- You start planning major renovations to your home
- Your fridge is packed with healthy vegetables
- You know what wine goes with which food
- You buy quality pans and kitchen utensils
- You decide to train in something new
- You start drinking smoothies and ask if things are gluten free
- You have a harder time tolerating other people’s BS
There are so many, (real and funny ones) that I can personally relate to, and many of these I’ve related to for years…so (shrugs):
At the end of the day, we are all aging, but having a healthy mind, body and spirit helps with the aging process. Also, I honestly feel the term middle-age is subjective. And subjectively speaking, Jack wasn’t talking to me. I mean after all my “research”, I found the age thing varying by about ten years–some say it starts at 40ish, others say at 50ish. With that being said, I can definitely see a mind shift happening in my own life, but I refuse to attribute it to being middle-aged! I’m just not there yet!
Do you find yourself doing any of the above “middle-aged” things?
Jack may know a thing or two. And one thing I learned, is to listen to your elders! LOL!
Footnotes:
Wayment = Wait a minute
Jack = Relative over 70 Years Old
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