The Slice of Life Challenge was created by the people over at the blog Two Writing Teachers. The challenge is to write about some part of your day and share it each Tuesday then give feedback to at least three other bloggers.
The audiobook To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han was playing in my car yesterday and it attacked me. Well, attack might be too strong a term. Perhaps wounded me would be more appropriate.
The two sisters, Margot and Lara Jean, were having a discussion. Margot is the eldest and she is speaking to Lara Jean, "...like I am a child and she is a wise old woman of 42."
I may have gasped aloud. "Wise old woman of 42!?!" Seriously. I believe I may have even spluttered a bit. Fortunately, the vehicle was empty except for me. It's entirely possible that I looked more than a bit gobsmacked. I paused the CD and backed it up to see if my ears were functioning properly. On a second listen, the words were still the same. And indeed, on the third time too.
Old is not a word I am ready to accept. I am prepared to believe that my elementary students see me as old, but really - a sixteen year old wouldn't think that too would they? Please say no. This is probably where I should reveal that 42 was a few years ago for me.
Driving the rest of the way home, this phrase, wise old woman of 42, kept banging around in my head. Earlier this year I read 365 Days of Wonder: Mr. Browne's Book of Precepts by R.J. Palacio. There I found a precept from Horace to start off my school year, "Begin, be bold, and venture to be wise." So I was working toward the "wise" part of the description this year anyway. Thinking abourt this totally ruined the precept for me though because the phrases rolled around together and it came out as, "Begin, be old, and venture to be wise." Ack! I may never read it the proper way again without thinking about aging. Now it makes me giggle a little and that might not be such a bad thing.
**Update to the post - I thought I would add the tweets:
The audiobook To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han was playing in my car yesterday and it attacked me. Well, attack might be too strong a term. Perhaps wounded me would be more appropriate.
The two sisters, Margot and Lara Jean, were having a discussion. Margot is the eldest and she is speaking to Lara Jean, "...like I am a child and she is a wise old woman of 42."
I may have gasped aloud. "Wise old woman of 42!?!" Seriously. I believe I may have even spluttered a bit. Fortunately, the vehicle was empty except for me. It's entirely possible that I looked more than a bit gobsmacked. I paused the CD and backed it up to see if my ears were functioning properly. On a second listen, the words were still the same. And indeed, on the third time too.
Old is not a word I am ready to accept. I am prepared to believe that my elementary students see me as old, but really - a sixteen year old wouldn't think that too would they? Please say no. This is probably where I should reveal that 42 was a few years ago for me.
Driving the rest of the way home, this phrase, wise old woman of 42, kept banging around in my head. Earlier this year I read 365 Days of Wonder: Mr. Browne's Book of Precepts by R.J. Palacio. There I found a precept from Horace to start off my school year, "Begin, be bold, and venture to be wise." So I was working toward the "wise" part of the description this year anyway. Thinking abourt this totally ruined the precept for me though because the phrases rolled around together and it came out as, "Begin, be old, and venture to be wise." Ack! I may never read it the proper way again without thinking about aging. Now it makes me giggle a little and that might not be such a bad thing.
**Update to the post - I thought I would add the tweets:
@librarygrl2 ha! When I was 16, I thought 27 was old so don't feel bad! Everyone was old in my eyes.
— Jenny Hannibal (@jennyhan) October 8, 2014
Glad you decided to giggle. I recently had my 62nd birthday. Kids at school guessed my age everywhere from the 30's to the 70's!
ReplyDeleteI think kids have no concept of age beyond 20. Everything after that is old.
DeleteAge has been on my mind lately too... I'm not yet 42, but....
ReplyDeleteat least giggling and laughing can help! And getting wise... that wouldn't be too bad either... that will just happen automatically, right?
:-)
Yes, I am trusting that the wisdom will just accumulate. :)
DeleteI am way past 42 - laughter helps us age, and it helps to be doing something meaningful with ones life, too. e can't stop the aging process, but we aim towards fulfillment. Right?!
ReplyDeleteExactly!
DeleteAge is on my mind this week since I will be 46 on Friday. Let's agree that 42 is not old and neither is 46. ;-)
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely and totally agree.
DeleteI'm 42 and was also very struck by that line when I read the book! One of my 20-year-old college students made a comment last week about "old people in their 40s" and I was just like, "You do realize that's me, right?" I'm with Tara: doing something meaningful with my life--as a teacher and as a parent--certainly reduces the number of existential crises I might otherwise have!
ReplyDeleteI am glad to know I am not alone there. Too funny.
DeleteWhen I was 16, people in their 20s were old.
ReplyDeleteI guess I have a poor memory. ;)
Delete