There are things I used to do all the time which I’m glad to say I no longer do, if I can help it. Some are things I’ve always hated but felt I had to do, and others are impulses I’ve learned to curb through practice and years gone by. A few things I’m so over:
Wearing control top pantyhose
Wearing pantyhose, period
Attending crafts fairs
Sleeping on a futon
Spending time with people out of obligation
Flirting back to be polite
Taking indirect flights
Guessing what someone is trying to say when he’s not being direct
Reading into what he does say
Not ordering a beverage with a meal because water’s free
Not ordering a second beverage if I finish the first before dinner arrives
Talking adults into things they don’t want to do
Pretending that I remember everyone’s names
Wondering if someone liked me
Wondering if he’ll call
Wondering if I got the job
Staying to the bitter end because I might miss something
Eating too little so I’d be thinner
Eating too much because I was starving
Wearing too little and freeze my ass off
Wearing dark burgundy lipstick
Deciding that other people’s lives are as perfect as they appear and that mine falls short by comparison
Trying to add up the number of people I’ve ever slept with
Answering the phone when I’m busy
Wondering for more than a minute if I’ve caused offense
Saying yes when I really want to say no, and no when I want to say yes
Waiting behind a velvet rope
Applying for anything
Hiding the fact that sometimes my marbles spill out onto the floor
Thinking much about what my ass looks like
What are some of the habits and hangups you’re glad to have left behind now that you’re a Formerly? I’d like to hear.
uncomfortable shoes
uncomfortable anything
trying to hide my boobs (I left that behind with a vengeance)
thinking that I actually have to choose what I want to be when I grow up
Ha! Spot on lists!
You’ve done a great job (once again), pretty much covering it!
Generally speaking, I’m over NOT being myself 24 hours a day all year round! Having accomplished that is = to/close to freedom!
BTW… I still have a soft spot for the burgundy lipstick… heh heh heh!
Wearing anything just because it is in fashion
Going out with a man just because he asked me out
Doing something I’m not interested in because someone else said it was “fun”
Hiding the fact that the reason I haven’t had kids is because I don’t want any
Thank you for this - I read it on the morning of my 46th birthday, and it reminded me that getting older is not all bad!
Well, Steph, you know I’m a “Forever,” not a “Formerly,” but still, I’m happy that I outgrew the obligation to play political games and kiss ass at work. The beauty of being one of the older people in the office and knowing that I’m so damn good at what I do is that nobody fucks with me. “You want this proposal written or not? Yeah? Then get lost.”
This is reminding me of one more thing: Not having to worry about “the filter.” At 51, my life is half over; I don’t have time to play games. It’s direct communication or don’t even bother talking to me!
Man, I feel sorry for 25-year-olds.
I thought I was the only one who ordered water at a restaurant–cuz it’s free (most of the time)–instead of what I really wanted to drink.
It’s highway robbery what they charge for drinks at restaurants. I’ll be ordering water til the day I die. Mostly.