I've managed to survive nearly a month of my new decade and the pain is beginning to wear off. As long I don't have to actually say my age out loud, I think I'll be okay! Somehow uttering that number is horribly painful, but luckily it's not a very regular occurrence!
My dad turned 70 in the same week as I turned 40. That puts it into perspective somewhat. But actually I think that's part of what I was struggling with around my own birthday - the realisation of what old age means, not just for me, but for those I love. With a septuaganarian parent, I am aware that things are changing for my whole family, albeit slowly. At some point - though hopefully still many, many years in the future - my parents will no longer be there. I can hardly bear to think of a future without them. Whilst I don't have daily contact with them, I've always known that they were there, offering love and support whenever needed, and inevitably life will change once that's not there.
Having just spent a week with my entire family, all 3 generations of it, I wonder to myself how our family dynamic will change over the years. With one sister living overseas, our relationship these days is mostly defined by the time we spend together at my parents' house each year. What will happen when they are no longer there?
I feel that these must be the golden years of a family. When the grandparents are young and fit enough to enjoy their grandchildren, and the grandchildren are young enough to still be innocent and (relatively) talkative. In a few years, my nephews will be teenagers and hard to drag away from their computer games or to elicit conversation from. My parents will be less active and perhaps less mobile. So for now, we should be enjoying what we have because once it has gone, it won't come back for another generation.
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