Forty
It’s on the horizon…three months away. I’m not nervous about aging. I enjoy it. Total transparency? I look great – I don’t look 40 at all, and I rather enjoy when people are shocked when they learn how old I am. So, of course, I don’t mind aging!
One thing that I didn’t expect, however, is how much I’m changing in this last year in my 30s. I’ve changed so much – and I can assure you that it hasn’t always been a walk in the park. I’ve made major career changes (I am BURNT OUT). I’ve made personal changes (No is becoming easier and easier to say). I’ve become so much of an introvert (I just have no desire to spend time with people who drain my energy and leave me exhausted). Peace is the most important. Being with my family is my favorite. Being home is a gift.
Those things don’t surprise me. They were always lurking just under the surface. Being extroverted exhausts me. Being away from home – unless I’m traveling, in which case I am absolutely fine being away from home – has never been my thing. People haven’t exactly been my thing, either. What does surprise me, however, is how much my style is changing.
I find myself gravitating toward solids. Prints (y’all know I’ve spent my adult life living in Lilly Pulitzer) no longer speak to me. I’m wearing crop tops and cut-outs. Rather than six in Louboutins, I’m in flats. Tennis shoes with tee shirt dresses? Yes, please.
I’ve always gravitated toward classic pieces I can wear for years on end, and that hasn’t changed. However, I do find myself embracing the coastal grandmother trend – in so many ways. I mean, I’m gardening, for God’s Sake. And loving every moment of caring for my flowers and plants. Who am I? I am slowly becoming the kind who sits on her front porch rocking chairs and watches the sunsets with a glass of white wine and a decadent salad I prepared with fresh ingredients kind of woman. Linen and neutral colors, a sweater draped over my shoulders, and a lovely, neutral watering can and gardening shears in hand…all day, every day.
An evening in with a good book and a cozy set, complete with a sweater in the middle of June, over a night out? Absolutely, I can be there yesterday. This very casual sophistication is what I’m here for. I’m almost forty & I am mentally here for it – and sharing my go-to summer ensemble. A bikini with a casually elegant outfit…I bought it in all the colors. This is also something that absolutely did not change just because I’m turning 40.
You can shop my looks here. My sunglasses are old, but the link will take you to a pair made by the same designer in a very similar style (and on sale!).
Tiffany Raiford 