feeling old

Last weekend, my friend Rachel* (*names have been changed) celebrated a very important birthday. She turned fifty. She held a birthday party and both my mom and myself were invited. And I think my mom invited my sister.

Rachel lives on the lake in a very nice house and pulled all the stops for her special day. There was a bar with a bartender (making really fabulous margaritas), a DJ, and some one preparing fresh snacks and serving them in addition to the well stocked buffet of delicious munchies.

Everyone there was Rachel’s age, or the age of Rachel’s sons. I taught one of her sons the first year I taught, and though I didn’t have the other, I cheered for him at many soccer games. Plus I was invited to graduation parties so these boys have seen me in a bikini. So there’s the twenty-somethings, the forty and fifty-somethings and me.

This seems to be the normal pattern of most things involving me, so maybe one day I will get used to it.

I started dancing with Amy (a teacher friend I share books with) because she loves to dance and because lets face it, I love to dance also. Pretty soon I was dancing with my new BFFs Courtney and Casey (20-somethings (or maybe only 20)) and all the other people who just like to dance.

At some point I had the thought that I should stop drinking. I did slow down, but when I thought about driving home, I decided that it was not worth the winding roads of Louisa and my sleeping bag was in my car. Once I knew I was staying, there was no point in stopping with the margaritas.

Eventually the DJ stopped playing and packed up, and the bartender went home. People helped clean up and the twenty-somethings decided to play beer pong. It was the girls (my new BFFs) against the boys. We played twenty one cups or something with Bud Light Lime (gross!).

And here’s when the differences between a late twenty-something and a barely twenty-something become apparent.

*Consumption rates were similar, though alcohol content was not; and I was clearly still rationally thinking.
*I got annoyed by the lack of commitment to the true sport of the game (though I did appreciate learning a new one)
*I drank a gallon of water before I went to bed.
*At the end of the night, I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and went to sleep.
*At 7am I watched the sun rise over the lake (One of my BFFs who slept on the floor next the comfy couch I claimed never moved when I stepped over her several times to go to the bathroom) and then got in my car and went home.
*Once home, I did go back to sleep, but was still up and functional for a normal amount of time.

I am too old to hang out with the twenty-somethings. Obviously. I guess I am back to hanging out with the older crowd.