Have I Hit Middle Age?

Tomorrow I will be turning 35. 35! It seems so old. It feels like it was just yesterday when I was 18 and felt that 25 was ancient. I still feel-even if I don’t look-quite young. I suddenly realized that 35 might officially move me from one demographic into another. I am no longer that highly prized 18 to 34 male demographic. So, does that make me a middle aged male? I have always figured middle age was much like middle class, a term often used but rarely tied to concrete numbers.

As a librarian, I had to do some research. It apparently depends on where you look. According to the US Census, middle age does start at 35. However, it is the only source I can find that slots me into that category. Both the OED and Merriam-Webster Dictionary give 45 as the rough start of middle age. Erikson’s middle adulthood stage begins at 40. So, depending on my source, I may or may not be middle age.

Does this mean a midlife crisis is pending? Apparently, the biggest study ever done on this phenomena indicates the average onset for a midlife crisis is 46 but they can start as early as 35. So, I could have one of those starting tomorrow. What will my midlife crisis be? Should I grow my hair into a ponytail, buy a sportscar, take up a wholly age-inappropriate activity like skateboarding? We shall see.