Driving to work today, a random exchange of dialogue between the cast of characters from one of my favorite old sit-coms, “One Day at a Time,” popped into my head.
I loved this show because I wanted to be just like Valerie Bertinelli (aka Barbara Cooper). She was twice my age at the time—a worldly and sophisticated fifteen. Looking back, Julie was cooler, rebellious and far more interesting, but she wasn’t pretty. But I digress.
During this particular episode, the girls’ mother, Ann Romano (played by Bonnie Franklin) was lamenting the arrival of her thirty-ninth birthday.
“Oh come, on, Mom,” Valerie reassured her. “Thirty-nine’s not old.”
“Yes it is,” her poor mom wailed. “It sounds like I’m forty and lying!”
“Mom, you’re making a big deal out of nothing,” Julie chimed in. “You’re not even middle-aged yet. They say the average lifespan of a woman these days is seventy-eight, so you won’t hit the halfway mark until…” She quickly did the math in her head, then fell silent.
So now, I wallow in misery for three very poignant reasons.
#1: I am as old as the mother in “One Day at a Time.”
#2. I am old enough to remember “One Day at a Time.”
#3. Schneider will most likely never be seen or heard from again.
Wonder if forty will be this traumatic?