My husband is staring at me in astonishment. βAre you actually carrying that around?β
βOf course.β I cocked a hip, trying to look extra cool as I heaved my new orange Stanley cup off the counter.
If you donβt know what a Stanley Cup is, you probably arenβt hanging around people in their twenties who are all toting around 40-ounce metal mugs with straws like theyβre about to trudge across the Sahara.
Those who swear by Stanleys believe you should drink two full Stanley cups of water per day. To be fair, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine say men should drink 125 oz. of liquid daily, and women should be downing 91 oz. But I grew up during a time when we never drank water. Sure, we might sip it from a trickling fountain at school, but we did sports and watched TV, partied, and joined protest marches on Washington with nary a water bottle in sight, never mind a manly Stanley mug. And guess what? We survivedβeven though we never put protein powder in our smoothies, either.
But thatβs not the point. The real question on my mind is whether Iβm cool enough to carry the Stanley in public. Because guess what? I, too, am now addicted to the Stanley. Maybe itβs because my son gave it to me and I love him. Or maybe itβs because the color orange makes me happy, or because lifting a Stanley all day means I feel justified skipping the dumbells at the gym. Whatever the reason, Iβm carrying my Stanley everywhere: to my office, out to the screen porch, in my car. I just havenβt yet dared let anyone see me do it.
Hereβs the thing. This winter, I bought a warm jacket on sale that happens to be bright teal with flowers, and everywhere I went, people would say, βI love you in that jacket!β or, βThatβs an adorable coat.β
Slowly, itβs dawning on me that I am at the βadorableβ stage of womanhood. Not cute, as in girlish, and not pretty or beautiful or elegant, as in being a good-looking woman, but adorable, aka, nonthreatening.
Iβve heard lots of women talk about feeling invisible once they cross a certain age threshold, but I havenβt heard anybody complain about being called βadorable,β so I started asking around.
βOh, God yes,β said one friend.
βAbsolutely,β said another, adding, βThe only thing worse than being called adorable is when they call you βspry.ββ
True. On the other hand, why not embrace the possibilities?
Recently I had a complete loss of sanity in a clothing store and bought a pair of black denim overalls that make me look like a toddler, and my rainhat has a lining of brightly-colored birds. I also own a bunch of striped headbands for running that made my brother say I look like Richard Simmons. Can a sparkly gold romper be far behind?
βEccentric lady writer,β I told my husband as I headed out to my office with my Stanley Cup and two dogs in tow. βThatβs the look Iβm going for now.β
Itβs a good look, right? After all, Iβm one of the lucky ones, having reached an age of grace where I can relax and be exactly who I am, navigating the world in a way that gives me joy.
I was thinking it was something about the hockey Stanley cup. π₯²
I tend to get into the floral stuff myself and I donβt care that much, as much as I try to not look like an idiot whoβs out of touch with their age. Thereβs a fine line between βfeeling youngβ and βlooking weirdβ.. I read somewhere that people have lost all sense of style and adults technically wear clothes that makes them look like giant babies, which is very true.. I canβt justify a crop top on a 40yr old, or 5β shorts for an adult man (although I struggle with shorts myself because I get too hot/sweaty, so I wear them sometimes).. Iβm starting to think a bit more about how I look because Iβm nearing 40 now.. I have the occasional βsillyβ item I wear just for fun because I want to keep the silliness alive, but most of the time, I donβt want to look like a giant baby.. It changes the way people interact with you even..
Long story short: you are cool enough haha!
I ALSO have a Stanley cup given me by my daughter! And of course I LOVE it! π you're so adorable (and spry!)