Wednesday, November 30, 2005

20 years to go

Mostly I'm in no hurry for my kids to grow up and leave me. Mostly I love being a mama of young children. But there's one thing that, when I see it, makes me want desperately for it to be about 20 years later than it is now. It's when I walk into a coffee shop and see an elderly couple sitting together, reading different sections of the paper, sipping their coffees, and occasionally reading each other something interesting. You can tell they've been there for hours, that this is a routine event for them and unremarkable. You can tell that they can and will stay there for as long as they feel like it before going on to the other parts of their days that I am not witness to. I really, really want that life. Sometimes I want it RIGHT NOW.

I wish I knew an elderly woman I could pose some questions to. The oldest woman I am good friends with is in her 50's--hardly elderly. But if I knew some spry old lady in her 70's well enough, here's what I would ask her: Do you keep having sex when you're old? How often do you do it? Do you still feel like the same person you've always been and feel some surprise when you look in the mirror and see that you don't look like you feel? If you've been married a long time, have you always been happy or has it always been hard? If you divorced after many years, did you see it coming?

Don't worry, those of you who actually know me. My marriage is fine and I'm happy just now. Perhaps a little sleep-deprived, but happy. I'm just the impatient sort, don't you know.

1 comment:

Mommygoth said...

This post is sleep deprivation, baby girl. Bless your heart, I know you're tired and longing for leisurely, languorous moments of any kind. You won't have to wait 20 years, just until Bean goes to school. :-> In all seriousness, I do sympathize, having been sleep deprived ever so recently. It WILL get better, if I have to come over there and put that baby out on the porch!