Upstaged by a twelve-year-old

Every now and then there is a moment when I think "what was I like at that age?" or "wow, kids grow up so fast these days".

Standing in the office of a truck rental firm waiting for my mum to finish registering so she could move house, I did a quick summing up of the two twelve-ish-year-old girls waiting in front of us. One was nondescript but the other caught my attention. She was dressed in a skirt, t-shirt, leggings, fringed scarf around her neck and jazz-shoe-type sneakers - and I realised with a jolt that she was dressed better than me!

I looked down at my old t-shirt and faded black track pants with the hole and my heart sank. There I was, someone probably twice as old, hopefully twice as worldly, upstaged by a twelve year old!

But I had an ace up my sleeve. While I may not always be sporting plaid fringed scarves and leggings, I always take care to be dressed appropriately for the occasion. My day (after we picked up the truck), involved carrying furniture, rummaging around garages, cleaning with chemicals, vacuuming and lugging around old bits of wood. The upshot was, I was dressed perfectly for the occasion.

I have no idea where the two younger girls were going after the truck depot or what their day entailed. My day finished with me dolling up in a black dress, blow dried hair and a huge rhinestone cuff for a "Black and Bling" hen's night. Here too, I hope I was dressed appropriately.

And that's what comes with age - knowing what to wear and when the best time is to wear it.