I never expected it to get to me, but the year I turned 35 I found I had to actively fight againat the mental games of how society is Super Normal (not) about women aging. I didn't and don't care about societal standards and expectations for how women are valued as they age, but something about my mid-30s had me having to launch an offensive against the patriarchal norms in the water.
so, ever since I turned 35, I have started thinking about my age as 'turns around the sun'. I'm an astronaut on a planet-sized ship, and I'm so lucky to have gone around the sun this many times!
today, as I turn 40 for the first and only time, I'm thinking about all the women who didn't get to live to 40. I got to make it to 40! I'm going to live the hell out of it for everyone who couldn't make it here <333 in particular, today I'm thinking about mary wollstonecraft, who died at 38. her! gone at 38! so today, I'm going to celebrate being 40 for her, and I'd love to know the names of other women you'll live in celebration of who should have had longer to live.
