Three of my good friends turn forty this month. Those of you who know me, know that I passed that milestone myself in July. The funny thing is, the approach to it was much tougher than the actual birthday itself, and since.....well I've hardly thought about it! A 40th party, surrounded my family and friends, ( that incidentally totally rocked), certainly eased the pain, so now I've slipped comfortably into acceptance, or quite possibly denial . Who knows? Who cares? It works for me.
But I digress-my 'problem' with all the birthdays this month isn't the originality of the presents, or the juggling and organizing of babysitters, it's the celebrations themselves. 40th parties, as I'm learning, are not to be underestimated. The attendees may be more Prosecco than Breezer , more Biba than Primark but the stamina, especially with a bit of Abba on the ipod, is impressive. Don't misunderstand me, I'm a sociable gal and have been known, more than once, to party like it's 1999 ( I was only 28 then- sob!). So at 2 am, I'll be t boogying to 'Wake me up before you go go' with the best of them (you know who you are!)
Ironically, at this very busy and family oriented stage in my life, I have a better social life, both with Loverboy and with my girlfriends than I ever have. Why ? A large chunk of my twenties and thirties was spent pregnant and/or in the sleep deprived twilight zone of babydom- we married youngish so many of our friends were years behind us in the baby production stage - as they partied we changed nappies and walked the floor with a colicky baby or 3. No misspent youth there.I also love getting dressed up to go out now. Having been a VERY big girl for many years, my ( relatively) smaller shape has opened a previously closed, (or at best ajar), door to a whole new world of style and fashion - I totally rate that cheeky shoe or the cleverness of a well cut high waisted Jean, and as for the miracle that is Spanx- don't get me started! Finally, and most importantly, I much more appreciate that night out, or that coffee with friends because I know that life is short and good friends are to be cherished, and hell, I can go to bed early with the sky+ for company tomorrow night.
But now, I've got to put my money where my mouth is, because October brings the challenge of three 40th birthday parties three weekends in a row. Its a dirty job but someone's gotta do it, so in the name of Moet I'll give it my best shot, and let you know how I get on -chin chin!.......
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