Age

[rainking1]

At my bithday party, some thoughtless person said, "You're ONLY 39?" I laughed. Yesterday, someone said it again. I didn't laugh this time.

Comments

[emmainfiniti]

I feel your pain.
Recently I was talking with someone I work with and, when I told him I was 40, he said he thought I was *much* older. (Maybe because he knows I have adult/ nearly-adult children? His own daughter didn't have her 1st child until she was in her late 30s.)

[rainking1]

What an asshat. (And, no, you don't look "much older.")

[spottedvasa]

Well, it's certainly not an excess of wrinkles provoking such statements - I think I have about as many as you do. It's probably the gray, which is blessedly reversible.

[made_of_paradox]

That may account for it.

My father just let his hair go white. And his beard. And let his beard go long. My mom colored her hair.

People were generally startled to find out that my mother was older than my father by a few months -- they assumed the age gap was much wider and in the other direction.

[rainking1]

Hm...maybe I'm the last person not to color his hair?

[made_of_paradox]

"His" hair? Maybe, although someone on my FL that I think is close to my age looks a good 10 years older, what with not dying his.

"His or her" hair -- well, take a good look at mine in good light sometime. :)

[rainking1]

Thanks.

[danamongden]

Well, don't necessarily assume they're reacting to your appearance. I know that I sometimes base my thoughts of someones age not by how they look but by what they've done and how they act. I realize it's not really the best gauge, but I find that's often what I'm really basing it on. I remember being astounded that a burner friend of mine was (at the time) only 26 when he had done so much and had risen to such a position of respect within the community

[rainking1]

It's weird, but I don't actually remember who made the comment (I had had a lot to drink by then). However, I was thinking it was a female. Still, thanks for the clarification and the compliments.