Mid-life What?

Let’s say there was a woman, and for ease of discussion, let’s give her a name.  We’ll call her Belle, shall we?  And just for fun, let’s say that Belle is the mother of a young child.  Let’s note that the child is in elementary school, and we’ll just leave it at that.  Now, let’s say this Belle woman was going to be turning 40 this year.

Oh.My.God.Did.You.Say.FORTY?! Why yes, yes I did. 

Anyway, let’s say that maybe, totally hypothetically of course, this woman Belle was in a bit of a crisis.  Maybe she’s only going to live to be eighty, and so, nearing the age of forty, she might be experiencing what some people would call a mid-life crisis.  Now it’s possible that she’s just bored, but just in case, let’s stick with the original story and agree she’s experiencing some sort of mid-life crisis.

Some people, or so I’ve heard, get through a mid-life crisis by buying themselves a shiny little sports car, or by having an affair, or buying themselves a Harley and taking a long road trip.  Belle would like a red Porsche if she could have one.  But she can’t.  They cost a lot more money than she could ever afford to spend on a mid-life crisis.  She’s not about to have an affair, either. Unless Steven Segal comes knocking at her door and then, well, all bets are off.  Go ahead, “ewwwww” all you want but this is not YOUR crisis, it’s Belle’s. Besides, she probably wouldn’t actually do anything with Steven, because she’d likely faint if the man really did show up on her doorstep and she imagines that might turn him off.  And since Belle hasn’t been on a real bicycle in ages, a motorcycle is out of the question.  Especially when you consider helmet head.  Belle doesn’t even wear hats in the winter.

Instead, — and again, I remind you this is totally hypothetical, — let’s say Belle, a woman who will turn 40 years old later this year and the mother of a young child, is thinking about getting her nose pierced.  She thinks a teeny tiny diamond stud would look pretty.  But she’s not sure. 

So she’s spent hours browsing the web, watching videos of teenagers getting their noses pierced.  She notes that she hasn’t seen one video of a forty year old woman getting her nose pierced.  There must be one somewhere, right?  But it’s not on You Tube.  She’s read all sorts of articles on the reasons not to do it: possible infection, scarring, getting fired from one’s job.  She’s heard her young child proclaim “Bulls get their noses pierced!” And yet despite all that, somewhere in the back of her mind is this thought: hmmmm…. I wonder…. I think I might.  No I can’t.  Maybe… For my 40th birthday!  No, definitely not.  Then again… Maybe…

So now, let’s pretend this is a real situation (which it’s, um, not) and you tell me, has Belle lost her mind? 

Oh, and for family members who are reading this, back away from the telephone.  No need to panic.  This is a totally hypothetical situation.  Although you are free to comment below of course.