age?

Until this year, I've always described myself as young. I always say, when describing others, "Oh, s/he's young. She's about my age." This was true when I was 22 and when I was 32 and even last year at 36. But, I realized that I haven't said that in months. Is it because I'm out of my mid-thirties and officially "thirty-something" now? Is it because I'm in Russia where the living is hard and I've aged exponentially? Is it because I'm adopting? Children do make you older. I'm the "youngest" of my friends (who are actually younger than me chronologically) because I'm single and without children. I've always been young-looking, so that figures in here somehow... I still have no greys (touch wood) and few "signs of aging". I don't know what it is, but suddenly I've stopped describing myself as young.

But, I don't know what I am, then. I've quit categorizing the young along with me, but, I'm not old. Not yet. I loathe the term "middle-aged". So, you thirty-somethings...what ARE we?

All this age talk reaffirms that adopting in the 4-6 range (as planned) makes sense. It gives me children the age that they'd be if I'd had them when I thought I'd have them. (Make sense?)

That's all. Nothing earth-shattering. Just an interesting kateish insight. (Well, I thought it was interesting...but years of acting have made me rather self-analytical--an acting term for "self-absorbed".)