I have 13 nieces and nephews. I can still remember seeing them wobblying their first steps, swaying to children’s music, “taking-a-knee” to see them eye to eye, using baby talk or at least simple sentences, participating in their tea parties, being asked “Is he drooling on me?” when my sister in law was carrying her sleeping boy over her shoulder.
These days, they are talking about who’s school has the hottest girls, that Shea actor guy from the Transformers and also the last Indiana Jones, plans for *university. Some are already driving too, saying “I love you” when hanging up their mobiles, paying bills.
It didn’t seem that long ago that I had wanted to see what they looked like in their first school uniforms.
It didn’t seem that long ago that I had wanted to change the channel to the X Files, resulting in my nephew running out of the room covering his ears and shouting “WAIT WAIT WAIT (till I leave the room please)!” cos he knows it’s (sometimes) a scary show. Now he speaks of his younger brother being possibly scared of The Dark Knight; possibly also being interested in the second installment of the X Files movie (though I doubt it simply cos he doesn’t know enough background of the series), and not even scared at all of the creepier Dementors from Harry Potter.
It also didn’t seem that long ago that another nephew was only starting to talk. Now doing his second year of uni, talking about investment mechanics and instruments.
It didn’t seem that long ago that I was still able to play tennis and run down a ball. I was also able to lose the weight that I was gaining simply by watching what I eat and working out more often.
These days, it’s achy joints- some due to carrying heavy loads of baby, others permanent due to wear and tear. It’s not being able to have the time to just-go to the gym at my heart’s fancy- family commitments of ferrying kids and sticking to a schedule of toddler sleep routine and baby milk feeds implies no time for self. That I am also going to be 40 in only a few years time also means that this body does not function the way it used to: Lose fat, recover quickly, damaged easily.
I also now have permanent arm rests; where some affectionately call them love handles. I do wonder why the term “handles” are used to refer to that area; only vaguely remember its application..
Oh my dear, as Caitlin would say; I am going to turn 40.
It wasn’t that long ago that I had started work for the first time. In a lot of ways I don’t think I had learned much in the way of worklife. I believe I think this way because I still think of myself as young. The downside of this has in some ways disadvantaged me in that I keep thinking to myself I have time to learn this stuff, but later; although I have slowly progressed upwards in my career and job responsibilities. Perhaps if I was more aware and alert of my age and its implications I may actually be higher up the food chain..? That, I wouldn’t know.
It wasn’t that long ago that I was just in *university. The cycle has come almost a full circle now.
