I’m amused, really. I look at some women my age or younger who dress and act so mature than I do. This is not to say that I’m childish. No. I am a mature responsible adult. Just that I don’t seem to look that way.
Often I get mistaken for a college student. When I was in my early twenties, I was mistaken for a teenager. But from my late twenties onwards, most people who met me would figure I’m in my early twenties – college age; or at least fresh out of college.
I meet a lot of people and surprisingly, most of them are a whole lot younger than I am. For some reason, I get along very well with people younger than me compared to those older (well, not all but in general). I don’t know why.
The funny thing that never fails to amuse me is how people assume my age. First, they asked which college/university I go to. I told them I never went that far, just finished high school and been working since then. Then, they asked me how long have I been working with my current employment. I’d tell them how many years. From there, I suspect, they guessed my age based on the time I left school and the years I spent working with my current job, which adds to about twenty-two to twenty-four; early twenties. But little did they know that they failed to acknowledge the ten years or so worth of working experience I had right after high school and before my current employment!
Because if they knew, they would have calculated my age to be thirty this year – not twenty-two.
Of course, I just let them assume whatever they want. I’m not complaining. I never corrected them or filled them in what they neglect to ask. Besides, people hardly ever ask me about where I had work before my current job. They just assume this current job is my first after high school.
Apparently, I don’t seem to age much after high school. I’ve bumped into some former schoolmates and they all said I didn’t change much. Standing next to them I look like a teenager going to head-bang in a rock concert – not a serious corporate-looking working woman and/or a wife and mother of two. It’s not that I don’t know how to dress like a grownup. I do – if I feel like it. But I believe I have my own personal style that doesn’t define my age.
Growing older doesn’t mean I have to look old. I’d like to think that I have a young personality, and keep a good balance of maturity and youthful spirit. I like where I am now and looking forward to where I can go from here. There’s more that I want to achieve. Settling down with a husband and kids is not in my priority now. It’s not that I rule out marriage altogether. I’m just saying that I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. For now, career is something I want to focus on. There are still a lot of things I haven’t done yet.
I have met some former schoolmates who attempt to ‘compare notes’ with me, digging up information to see how much I have done career-wise, marriage, children, etc. This annoys me. I don’t need to be judged for what they think I’m lacking in life at my age now. So what if I don’t have a successful career with a big fat salary, married to a rich man and have adorable kids like they do? That’s their life, the path they had chosen to take. I’m happy if they are happy with their life now. Good for them. But I don’t need for them to indirectly tell me that I’m missing out in some way or that I should grow up soon because I’m not getting any younger anymore. It’s just plain rude, I tell you.
I like where my life is heading now compared to the past ten years. I didn’t exactly have a good childhood nor was my teenage life exciting (well, it was exciting in the unfortunate way). My twenties was turbulent and painful (though I can’t deny that I have learnt much about myself and other people during that period). Since that phase is done and over with, I’m glad to be turning thirty and am finding more confidence and energy to do more things I’ve always wanted to do.
I may not have a peachy life but it was filled with plenty of experiences that I can ever learn from books. I’ve grown from those experiences. And that is more valuable than me rushing off to get married and all just to be a grownup.
Besides, I don’t feel old. And so what if the people I always hang out with are much younger than I am? Age is just a number anyway. And I can still get away looking young without even trying! Like, how cool is that?
Here is something I wrote similar to this subject in 2004:
Girls my age are acting so grown up while I act like a grown up when the occasion calls for it.
Girls my age are married with three kids in tow while I still feel like a kid.
Girls my age are saving money for their kids future education fund while I’m saving money for my traveling/holiday fund.
Girls my age are helping their husbands pick the right tie for a fancy dinner while I’m trying figuring out the right outfit to wear for a girls’ night out.
Girls my age are well-groomed and dressed like a corporate leader to work while I look like a teenager going to head-bang at a rock concert.
Girls my age are planning tomorrow’s meals for her family today while I see what I feel like eating when tomorrow comes.
Girls my age are singing nursery rhymes to her kids while I sing rock songs to myself without a care in the world.
Girls my age are settled comfortably in their careers while late-bloomer me is still figuring out what to do with my life.
Girls my age are contented that their life is complete - career, marriage, kids, etc - while I’m still exploring all the possibilities in life that I want to achieve without being tied down by a family.
Girls my age are thinking back about the good old days when they were single while I’m thinking how great it is to be single now.
I suppose I should have wrote “women my age…” instead of “girls…”, eh?
