This all started when my sixteen year old was describing a woman she`d met.
`She was, you know, like you, she said. `Oldish`. She then laughed a bit, to make it sound like a joke. I started to think really hard, about how I viewed people `of my age` ..when I was
her age. Parents, teachers, bloke in the corner shop, Yep all ancient.
I then wondered what age you had to be, for most of the population to be younger than you. Was I there yet? Hell, yes. A piece in the Economist earlier this year said that of the seven billion or so people in the world in 2011, the average person was just under 32. That`s disturbing for lots of reasons, but at least I can tell teen daughter that on a global scale--she`s positively middle aged. That`ll stop her chortling.
When it comes to my age, (37), I`m sensitive. Yeh OK, and dishonest. I put it down to anxiety about time ticking away and losing a mother way too young. But am I the only one? And never mind the rest of the world-- where do I sit age wise, I wondered, among the people who follow me on Twitter?
I asked for people to Tweet me their ages. More than thirty people hammered back their responses.
There was a barrage, first, with 43 year old Karen leading the attack.Then:` 41, 55, 36, 44! ` from
Diane, Geoff, Ciaran and Hefin, swiftly followed by `42, 40, 56, ` from Martin in France, Michelle-out-west and Tim.
And another `40` with multiple exclamation marks from Dave Burrows at the Shropshire Star. Cheryl in France, told me she was 41, and `running to keep in shape.` More twenties and thirties...followed, a sprinkling of fifty somethings; a 61 year old mum, and a loud and proud `62` from Nonny; none of them thinking twice about coming clean.
So where
did I sit among my Twitter group? I`m hopeless at stats, So--think theatres. If the youngest of those who replied was in the orchestra pit, I`d have to clamber out of there sharpish; leg it up through the stalls, all of them, then tonk up into the circle to find my place. The
back...of the circle.With the
upper circle looming large. You get me?
And it turned out that I`m not the only one who gets a bit twitchy about the topic.
The man who shall be known only as `H`, messaged me in private.`Sorry Jane,` he wrote.`Couldn`t bring myself to put it on the open market. A greying, balding, wheezing 41`. I hear you, H.
Two were heading for big milestones. Like Mike.`I`m 39 and eleven months,` he wrote.`And reflective to a certain degree.` He`s planning a party. But, he admitted, ` procrastinating about sending the invitations out. I think that sums it up quite well!`
Emma, a Shropshire businesswoman hits 30 soon--with mixed feelings. `Everyone says it`s great and that you feel better in your thirties, `she said.` I feel I haven`t reached the goals I thought I would have done when I was sixteen. I worry than I`m going to turn into a cat lady, as I haven`t found anyone yet.` That said, Emma admitted she was looking forward to her party, and to adventures that lay ahead.
If 41 year old chef Lisa is anything to go by, Emma`s got it all to look forward to. `I`m loving my age,` she tweeted, `confident in who I am, and knowing that I`ll grow in confidence as I get older. I will live life as I see fit for me.`
Clare Benson, ` 44 and loving it`, agreed.`I have an inner confidence in my 40s that I don`t think I had when I was younger,`she said.` It means I have more time to enjoy life, rather than worrying about things that are unimportant.`
Enlightening. And encouraging. And then, mixed in with the `41, 55, 26 and 44` from Karen P, David, Deborah and Trace (really ??!) --and the `43--most of the time` from Mr Access Taxis, a reminder from two people who cherish every year they have.
Rich Smith`s 46. `But I make it look good,` he boasted on Twitter, then suggesting that I should perhaps list him as 20 again. That`s because Rich has clocked up 20 years since, at death`s door, he received the new liver that would save his life and give him the strength to become a British, European and World cycling champion, husband, and doting dad. He`s written a book about his story.
And then Kath got in touch. She`s 52; a former banker and teacher, and mum of two; waiting for a new heart and lungs. And hoping, like Rich, that a transplant will help her notch up a few more candles on the cake.
`When I was first diagnosed with my illness,`she told me,`amongst all the shock some of my
first thoughts were that how lucky I was I had got to age 49 and managed to
achieve all I had.
`When
I was diagnosed, the following year was a rollercoaster until they managed to
get me stable.For months I was striving to still be alive for my
50th birthday and hoping things would improve.I was just glad to be alive, but I had been
referred to the transplant team, who told me I would probably only have a few
good years left if I didn't take the transplant option.
`I had to take
ill health retirement and I was lucky to be able to draw my work pensions early,
so I suppose now I'm fairly stable. I feel like I'm enjoying my retirement while
I wait for my transplant, albeit 15 years earlier than most people, but what
does 'age' matter as long as you can still make the most of life?
`Since
being ill,` said Kath,` I can only take one day at a time. Old age is too far away for me at
the moment and I have too many hurdles in front of me to even think of it. I
know my life could change in the next hour or even minutes should I get my
transplant call or take a turn for the worse, so at the moment age doesn't
matter, just living each day counts.`
Thanks Kath, and Rich, and everyone who gave me their `number` today. See--age does matter. But will I tell you mine? No. Not on your nelly.
http://www.kathstransplantblog.blogspot.com
http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2013/01/daily-chart-3
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ReCycled-Richard-Smith/dp/1781764891
Thankyou! Karen, Diane, Geoff, Ciaran, Hefin, Richard G; Nonny, Julie, `H`, Martin, Michelle, Lisa, Emma, Tim M; Tim P; Dave Burrows ,Shaun C; Chris, Rich, Clare B, Kath, Mike Perry,Karen P; Dave Wright, Deborah Reck, Access Taxi-man, Trace W; Seb, Helen, Ruth, Cheryl, Rich D; Tom.
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