Confessions of a Curvy Girl: Tiptoe Through The Play-Doh

Linking with Momalom this week, my topic was “Age”. Oh, the places I could go with “age”, but honestly, the first thing that popped into my mind was how, at the ripe old wrinkly age of 38, I have experienced a few lifetimes of “schtuff” – such “schtuff” that typically would not happen in a person’s 30s. However, I chose to take a trip down memory lane instead. Join me, let’s tiptoe through the Play-Doh.

I arrived in this world in the mid-70s, but I really consider myself a child of the 80s. I am emotionally connected to many different aspects of the 80s. However, let’s continue that ride…..let’s see what you remember.

70s: Bellbottoms, Platforms, Brady Bunch, Partridge Family, Lite Brite (one of my all-time favorite toys ever), Hot Wheels (noisy plastic wheel and all), Simon, Pudding Pops, Atari (FROGGER!)and Play-Doh (doesn’t the smell bring you right BACK?).

80s: Smurfs (yes, I thought I would grow up to be Smurfette), Jake Ryan (no, my son is NOT named after Jake Ryan….really, please believe me, he’s not), Miami Vice, Culture Club (I STILL love Boy George and if you want to see me dance, put some classic Karma Chameleon on please), Madonna, Cassettes (remember how many we pirated albums we made at home off the radio?), Apple Computers (remember the green screen and DOS commands?), MTV (when they actually played music videos), Pac-Man, Karate Kid, Alf, Cabbage Patch Dolls, Swatches (I loved my Swatches), Neons (I had everything neon…..running tights, sunglasses, socks, you name it), and High Heeled Shoes with anklet socks (probably neon).

90s: Clueless (How cute was Alicia Silverstone?), Saved By The Bell (Dustin Diamond is NOT a porn star – no way, no how, I don’t believe it), Trapper Keepers, Macarena, Electric Slide (way before the Cotton Eyed Joe hit town, we were sliding our way into uber-cooldom), Dunkaroos, Power Puff Girls, Beanie Babies, Grunge Rock (Poor Kurt Cobain), Rugrats, and Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles.

00s: Harry Potter, Britney Spears, Boy Bands (Who doesn't love Backstreet Boys or N'Sync???), 9/11 (the greatest tragedy of our generation, for sure), Shrek, Lord Of The Rings, Finding Nemo ("Fish are friends, not food"), Pirates of the Caribbean, Johnny Depp, Duran Duran (again).

Somewhere along the way, I reached adult-hood. You know….THAT routine. Go to work. Kids to school. Grocery shop. Pay bills. Fix house. Fix car. Pay more bills. Follow fashion. Or not. Watch T.V. Watch the news. Save for old age. Act your age.

What? Act your age?!? Here’s where I come to a skidding halt. A screeching stop. No. I am having a tantrum.

No. In fact, I see absolutely no good reason to act your age. The older I get, the less I want to act my age. What does a 38 year old “act” like anyway? Who sets the rules for society’s “norm” on age?

With that – I challenge you to act anything but your age this week. Go skip! Yes, skip, skip, skip to my lou! Find the sidewalk chalk and draw your best Smurf. Hula hoop! Go to Target and embrace their neons….buy something for yourself and wear it proudly. Blast your best “Walk Like An Egyptian”, in your house or better yet, on the street to terrorize your pre-teen children. Bring out the Simon. Do it. Do it now.

Life is short. We get old because we do stop playing, not because we are too old to play!