Midlife: ‘The old age of youth’ and ‘the youth of growing up’! by Manali Patnaik

I am an average kind of girl, with a bit of ambition and a bit of adventure in me. This year, I will turn 30. I never will be a ‘twenty something’ again. A milestone year! I guess 30 isn’t too hefty or too light to handle. Depending on how much zest one has for life, it could count up to as much as half or one third of one’s expected lifespan. For most of us,we’re children till we turn 12, moving on to becoming crazy rebellious teenagers, and life actually starts after that!

GROWING PAINS

At 30, one gains weight.. and maturity, and experiences to back all this up! Half my life is over … at least according to the statistics glaring at me. I’m a woman now! By this time (if I’m not entirely way off mark), most of us would have married, decided on a chosen career path and would be planning or already would have had a  baby. There is very little uncertainty in our lives now  (I am speaking of most, if it not of all), and that is exactly what my issue is! Not that I’m looking for more trouble, in fact I’m looking at what else can happen to me. In my mind the monthly countdown for my birthday has started and I’ve told my friends not to rub it in. I don’t want to celebrate my 30th birthday – blowing candles in the night, and waking up to the feeling that my age has compounded into an unfathomable number, is not something I would specifically enjoy doing. But frankly, deep within I sometimes feel like a toddler, sometimes like an erratic teenager and sometimes like a lady. Maybe that’s what is so beautiful about the 30’s. One feels like a child and a woman, at once!

DEFYING  ALL  NORMS

I want to live my ten years of thirty-something like a lady, but everyday I will give myself permission to dress up the way I want to. If I feel like it, I will relive my teenage and take the night out with my friends. I will get into my best pair of my jeans, wear a freaky tee, play around with weird hairstyles and let go of myself. And the best part is … I can handle this with the common sense and grace of a 30-year-old.

I don’t really need a ‘Survivor’s Guide to Turning 30′. I’m mentally well equipped to handle this new transition. Since I’m financially more secure than before, I feel confident enough to take risks and play around at the stock market. Now that I have a 30-decker head on my shoulders, I can command some authority, backpack with my baby and a group of girl friends to a new place without having an escort all the time.

On the grand day, I will pamper myself to a nice Shiatsu massage and bundle it with a facial and pedicure. At 30, I won’t pick up a Bridget Jones as my pin-up; instead I’ll stick a Cameron Diaz, Uma Thurman or Liz Hurley kind of poster. These are the 30­something women who are as footloose and fancy-free otherwise, as they’re level­headed and determined in their relationships and at work.

A DIFFERENT Y(R)EAR, A DIFFERENT ANGLE!

Having married early, I could never really accept the ‘aunty’ tag pinned to me by the young kids around, and most of my friends are unanimous about this feeling. I somehow cannot express how I feel about the subject now … I’ve accepted it.

But things are starting to fall into place. Even though the collagen content on my face has started decreasing, I don’t see my brains getting drained. For me, a new journey has begun. I’ve decided to travel a lot, maybe have my second baby before the biological clock starts ticking, and in between relive my past 30 years .. at times with a bit of childishness, at times as a youthful teen and at times as an experienced 20 – ­something. At 30, I’ve ‘been there, done that’ and now it’s the time to live it up. See, I am not yet there and I feel so full of wisdom!