Pooch

So if you're a woman over the age of 25 you've experienced the pooch. Eat too much salt? Pooch. PMSed? Pooch. Just a bad day? Pooch. That little poochy piece of belly that bloats out.

Despite having the occasional pooch issue, I've never in my life had anyone poke me and point it out and bizarrely enough, ask me if I was pregnant??? A good friend and mother of a 2 year old - who's party I was attending - asked this of me in room full of people. I inspected my cute outfit - black skirt and empire waisted turquoise tank that hung so the PMSed pooch was covered. Turn to the side. Hmmm...a little pooch...I think the size small skirt from 2001 when I was a size 4 was making it look worse. Possibly. But all in all, it wasn't protruding like I was in my first trimester.

Wait. What am I doing? I'm standing in front of my friend's bathroom mirror PMSed and crampy wondering if what I'm wearing hides my pooch? Do I really care? Hell no. This is a cute outfit dammit. And I'm the cutest chick at this party.

I decided I didn't give a damn, but it does raise the question - Why have so many of my pregnant friends or recent mothers asked me/insinuated/projected their motherly instincts - about my current place in life sans children: "Are you guys trying? When are you thinking of having kids? Come on, Chrissie, have a baby! Babies are great!! They're so much fun! Oh, you guys have time...there's no rush...oh wait - you fainted? I'm noticing the pooch. Obviously you must be pregnant." These are examples of what I've heard.

Sigh. I'm not really upset by this...I'm more or less wondering why on earth people care to the extent of constant conversation? I don't worry about when another couple plans on buying a house, having kids, moving, changing jobs...I just don't. Another older wiser friend of mine (with 2 grown kids) said "Well, Chris, I think it's because that's where their minds are...(OK, understandable, but still. Did I ask all my pals when they were getting engaged when I was planning my wedding? No. I was wrapped up with my own stuff). She continued, "and to some extent, they need to justify where they are in their life by asking all their friends why they aren't there yet."

Because most of my 20s were spent with antiquated measuring devices (old school thought) measuring all the wrong things (my jobs, my apartments, my friends, my life compared to others). Because that's what I needed to do in order to grow up. Because now I follow the beat of my own drummer.

Things happen when they do. Until then, I will embrace my PMSed state and don my yoga pants to hide the pooch.