I turned 40 last year, and I truly embraced it. My sister threw me the best birthday party that I have ever had....live DJ and all! I love what God is doing in my life, and I am looking forward to the next 40 years. Well, my birthday is right around the corner, and I have learned that, while I had no problem embracing 40, there are some things that happen in my 40s that I am not embracing so well. Night sweats! Weight gain! Splotchy skin! I could keep on going, but you get my drift.
I've recently started classes at the local community college, go SCC, and I feel like a fish out of water. A lot has changed since I graduated from college over 16 years ago! Most of it is for the better, but there is still a learning curve for me. I'm learning all kinds of things about myself during this process. Last week I learned something else about my 40s that I have not yet embraced! My Ma'am!
Now, if you have been raised in the South and are my age or older, you probably know what I am talking about. We are not just taught yes and no when we learn to speak. We are taught to say, "Yes, ma'am and no ma'am or yes sir and no sir." We do this to show respect for our elders, and it is a term of endearment. My sister and I became friends with someone in my early twenties who has become the big brother that we never had. From the time that he first met my parents he referred to them as Ma'am and Sir. Eventually he began to call my Dad by his name, but my Mom has remained Ma'am. If I were to talk to him tomorrow he would say, "How is Ma'am doing?" That's his way of showing both respect and love for my Mom even after all these years. So what does this have to do with me and school? Last week as I was coming out of the restroom at school, a young lady swung open the door and almost hit me with it. She immediately said, "I'm sorry ma'am." I turned around to see who was behind me only to remember that I was the only one in the restroom at the time! I thought, "How old does she think that I am?" A couple of days later I was waiting my turn in line to pick up my daughter from school and the handsome young police officer waved to me when it was my turn and said, "Go ahead ma'am." Once again I thought, "How old does he think I am?" Then it hit me. I am 40 years old and about to be 41. It is time to embrace my ma'am. I expect my daughters and my students to call me ma'am. I expect the young girls/boys who check me out at the grocery store to call me ma'am. I wasn't quite ready for people in their 20s and 30s to call me ma'am, but today I am. I have been blessed by God in my life. Every right or wrong decision that I have made; every good or bad life experience that I have had; every heartache and every joy; all of these experiences have made me wiser and beautiful in a whole new way. I have an appreciation for life and the people that are a part of it that I didn't have 20 years ago. So, instead of being shocked the next time that some unsuspecting "young" person calls me ma'am, I am going to embrace it with pride. After all, it has taken me almost 41 years to earn it!
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