I must have blinked.

- and missed it.

(johnsadventures.com)

I am talking about the bit where I went from being a young woman

to one of the older generation.

We went on a few tours while on holiday.

One day, we headed out with 5 others for an afternoon

of walking up a river and a waterfall.

We were dutifully divided into 2 groups.

Mr Boozle and I and one other couple went with the tour operator

while the other 3 went with his assistant.

It didn't hit me until a few hours later

exactly how we had been divided up.

The other couple with us would have been in their early 50s

while we were in our early 40s.

The other group of three were a couple and a single traveller,

all somewhere in their 20s.

Our group were the oldies.

I was mortified.

When did that happen?

The last time we travelled significantly as a couple,

I was 30.

We were the young(er) ones.

Now suddenly, we aren't.

Not so sudden, I guess.

In between those travels

have been over 10 years,

mortgages, house renovations,

children and no time to sit back and contemplate

time passing.

(theweedpatchstore.com)

I have said before that I comfortable with my age.

I really am.

But I am not sure that I am going to be saying that in 10 years.

There is a little jolt when you fill in a survey and you are now in the next age group.

When you go to the dentist and he is talking about cracking teeth and sensitive teeth

and why you have these problems as an older person.

When you realise that your body is well past its prime

and that, barring miraculous sci-fi medical advancements,

there is no going back.

In realising that you are that older person,

the one that your own parent was,

as your children are the ones growing up and starting out in life. 

I have suddenly realised that I am well and truly moving through that transitional period in my life:

where I feel quite young at heart.

I feel younger than I actually am.

I can remember and relate to the angst my kids are going through.

I still think of myself as just out of University

and just getting a grip on the direction life may take me.

But in reality I am nearing that place where I am looked upon

as being of "that older generation".

Where the younger adults think that we are out of touch.

That our own offspring think we can't understand how to run a DVD player,

let alone understand what it is like to be a tween

and why Justin Bieber is the hottest boy on this earth.

Where we are the ones who apparently shouldn't dance at Cold Chisel concerts.

(gooddayregularpeople.com)

I am already trying my best to make sure that I don't embarrass my kids.

But really- how was I to know that a practical PopTop lid on a water bottle

would earn my 8 year old son the scorn of his mates?

See?

I am thinking like an out of touch parent already.

It is happening without me realising it.

(shirtaday.com)

I want to grow old gracefully.

But then again I want to do it my own way.

I can only hope that the two are compatible.

Once I actually come to terms with the fact that I am ageing.