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Janet Testerman

Editor of Skirt! Knoxville

I am the obsessive, over-protective mother of my 5-year-old daughter, Reilly - a four-legged, ball-chasing,car-riding, food-begging Golden Retriever who's the girlfriend of Ranger, the Chocolate Lab next door. When I'm not fulfilling her every need, I'm anticipating my new boot camp workouts, thinki...

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39 and Holding

I just turned 39 last week and woke to my mom’s phone message, like every year, singing the traditional “Happy Birthday” song followed by her rendition of the Geico insurance commercial, with “Mini Me” churning his arms, singing “It’s your birthday...get your car fixed...new bumper...”

What I didn’t expect was her reminder that she and I were FINALLY the same age: the proverbial “39 and holding,” the age where birthdays cease to exist, where lying about your age really does become a reality. Well, I’m not sure what’s more uplifting...your mom telling you you’re now the same age as she is or thinking about which absorption level you’ll need when you buy your first box of Depends. I’d rather chew on glass than confront either.

For some reason I think I would have rather turned 40. (At least I do have something to look forward to). I’ve always heard 40’s are the best years, but I think that’s coming from all the baby-boomers whose kids are now grown, who have a wee bit of normality and stability in their life, and finally time to do things they’ve put on hold. Well, since none of the above applies to me, I’m a little skeptical of 40, but let’s face it, the good times my 30’s afforded me were spotty at best. 30’s are just plain hard, and for me I’m ready to bid good riddance. I’ve always been conflicted about wishing my life away, so maybe I’ll embrace my 39^th year and get ready to rock and roll into my fourth decade. I may not find my 40’s to be fabulous for the same reasons I’ve always heard about, but I’ve thought about taking it upon myself to redefine the word “fabulous.” I’m praying though, that 50 is really not the new 30, because I don’t want to spend my entire 40’s, when I’m suppose to be lovin’ life, dreading the thought of reliving my 30’s. Now that would be a bummer and this whole age thing is exhausting. As a matter of fact, this whole “39 and holding” idea is becoming a tad more appealing. Mother’s always do know best, and clearly there must be something that I don’t know yet – something that all of those who boycott birthdays after 39 are too afraid to reveal. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see. Until then I’ll keep you posted on how the eternal year is going.