Aging gracefully is hard as h***, especially if you watch TV ( my addiction), most of it is full of young 20's annoying me. I was watching "Age of Love" the other night, my first time and was appalled at how the 20's girls were talking an acting about the 40's ladies. Who do they think they are?

40 women are still fabulous and yes, some of us may still be single or single again. We all want to think when we marry it is for life, or that the relationship you are in is going to last forever, reality does not always work that way. I did not get married until I was 40 years old an now being 42, I feel better and look better than I did in my 20's. When I watch these girls be disrespectful an think they are all that and the 40's ladies are pathetic, need to get a reality check, someday you will be in your 40's and what happens if you are still single?

Then I think back, was I like that in my 20's? I know how insecure I was and most likely was not the nicest person all the time, but seriously, I can not remember. Selective I know, but when I look back on my 20's it was not the happiest time for me. My relationships in that time, not all great. My college boyfriend Todd was wonderful, but we were more good friends then a romantic relationship, we went to London and Ireland together it was a great adventure. In pictures and in my stories to people, in reality I missed my family terribly, I missed the normal ketchup of America, I missed celebrating Thanksgiving ( not big over there shocker huh?).

We had to get live in jobs because we could not afford anything else. Our first flat was 1 room an a bathroom, with twin beds. A Crazy lady lived across the hall and to get heat you had to put coins in a machine outside your door. So, in the middle of the night you would wake up freezing you would have to get up and open the door to the cold hallway an put coins in a machine that never really gave much heat. No shower only a tub, hard to keep warm and take a bath YUKO!!

One phone in the place on the bottom floor we were on the top floor 5th by the way. A Hurricane hit one night no preparations, no announcements, we heard the sky light go off the building and we thought, the crazy lady jumped out. She keep cat cans outside her door and would have full conversations with her self in different voices, because of course, the walls were paper thin. We did meet about 5 Australian guys who lived on the bottom floor, who were traveling around they were alot of fun, like to party.

Our first job was in a Pub, called the Lamb across from the London Hospital. It was us, another live in couple Australian, two guys from New Zealand and we worked for an English Couple. That lasted two weeks, it was hard work, not alot of money and the clients were strange to say the least. If I was people do not go for social medicine. The pubs at that time were open 11am-2pm, closed until 6pm then open until 11pm. The people from the hospital would come over for lunch an drink like fishes for an hour or two an then go back to work an then come back over at 6pm and get drunk. Every day, nurses, doctors, interns, makes you feel really good about the care over there right?

There was an old man who had a cane and he would sit right by the entrance to the bar, and use his cane to lift girls skirts, he made the little slit in my dress rip almost every day. Pervert. Then the older couples would come in the evenings and the woman would order 1/2 pints the men pints, I asked them why since she drank quickly. Women don't drink Pints it doesnt look good, basically, we can get drunk like a man but we have to look Feminine.

Also, in 1987 women in a bar couple were expected to work the food and the til, men the bar and lift the kegs an dirty work. I can not cook and my sandwich ability not so good especially in England where they put butter on all sandwichs.

Our next job was in a Bed an Breakfast, luckily, I was not required to cook Todd was, for me it was making the beds an cleaning the bathrooms. Todd got hit by a car in Tafalgaher Square and the hospital was a mess, took an x-rays and told him to go down the hall (no wheelchair) an find out what the doctor says an then bring them back to me. Then gave him crutches two different sizes that was all they had. He ended up just using an ace bandage and wrapped his foot tight into his boot. He fainted and I had to do both our jobs for a week until he recovered in order for us to get paid, nice people right? Then even told us that they would of preferred an Austrialian couple but we were the only ones who applied.

Then at Christmas they kicked us out because they were going on Holiday, did let us stay in one of the apartments they rented out and it came out of our paychecks. AWFUL PEOPLE!! I could not stand them. We were with them for about 4 months then we came home. It was suppose to be a year, lastest 6 months. I still love London but want to see it with money. I can tell you on my free time, I saw "Dirty Dancing" at least 20 x because it made me feel like home.

I would never pass up the adventure, but it was hard as h***, we stayed in only 1 hostel disqusting never again!! I was in my 20's and was alot tougher than I ever thought I would of been, so I am not sure if I was as self centered and down right mean as the girls in their 20's are on TV. I work with 20's something girls and all of them amaze me at their confidence and their drive for what they want, why are these 20 something girls not represented on TV like the superficial ones are, on Reality TV?

So, you 20 something girls realize one day you will be in your 40's and what will you be like?