My twenties replayed

There are definitely aspects of my current life that remind me of my 20s and you may wonder how, considering that I’m decades older, no longer working and not even living in the same country. This is how:

1. I am not looking after young children and therefore am serene and well rested.
2. I am filled with a sense of freedom and possibility.
3. I get to the end of the day and wonder how I managed to fritter away all those lovely hours full of freedom and possibility with absolutely nothing to show for them.
4. I have a cat.
5. I am dating the same man (but on a more permanent, residential basis).
6. I love clothes and feel guilty about buying them, although these days it’s for different reasons.
7. I go to see a lot of films and invite friends over for movie nights. No-one is allowed to talk during the films.
8. I have a house full of plants.
9. My house needs a good clean.
10. I love music, but Barry Manilow is my guilty pleasure.

However, I am not in my 20s and, aside from the obvious, this is how I can tell:

1. Even though I don’t sit in an office all day, I still manage to spend a fair bit of time at my desk in front of a screen.
2. My capacity for alcohol is greatly reduced.
3. I have elderly parents.
4. I eat less but weigh more.
5. I live in a village rather than a city, and in a different country altogether.
6. My cat’s seen better days and no longer has all his teeth. Not the same cat, I should add.
7. I have friendships that have lasted decades.
8. I have grown-up children who patiently explain the world to me.
9. I go to see children’s films and feel no shame. Which leads me to the next point.
10. I spend very little time worrying what other people think of me.

Each stage of life is a trade-off, isn’t it?