Annie's Corner

Yes, that's right, Annie turned 40 this year. A bit of a surprise I must say. Seems I just turned 21, didn't I? And now at my age I find myself working with teens at a high school, and we know how teens feel about anyone over 25 - we're old! Well I am here to stand up and say, boy are they wrong.

Some of my fellow (female) employees gave me a little surprise party, and while we stood around gabbing, a senior we all knew crashed the party. Most present were near my age or older, when she started in, "Bet you would like to be my age again." We all exchanged looks and laughed, really laughed hard.

Go back to her age? Let's see, relive the games they play on each other in school, all the dating woes in trying to find Mr. Right, the wedding and the years of adjustment to get used to living with Mr. Right's habits (and him, mine) the labor and births of my three sons, all the jobs, moving, and changes, getting used to changes in my own body, and etc. Would I like to go back? Not on your life. If given another chance I might even make more mistakes than the first time, and that's scary.

When the ladies and I got done with our nosy senior she looked pale and left our company. Not sure, but all the talk about childbirth, gyn checkups, menopause, and etc. and etc. might have had something to do with it. Boy, has she got a lot ahead of her.

Women stand up and be proud of your age. I am not getting older, but better. I certainly am smarter, had to be. I was book smart back then, but not big in the common sense area.

Just think I experienced the 60's without actually becoming a flower child or hippie, discoed my way through the 70's, married and was having family in the 80's, went back to work and watched my children grow in the 90's and the new millennium will bring my children entering adulthood, and hopefully starting their own families. Go back and miss all that I have seen and done? Not on your life.

Happy birthday all 40-year-olds, oh heck, 50- and 60-year-olds too. Enjoy your time, and be proud.