Drinking wine in your yoga pants

If you’ve been on any type of social media for more than ten minutes, you’ve seen it. Jokes, photos, and comments on drinking wine. And yes, it’s mostly us ladies. “To relieve stress I do yoga. Just kidding, I drink wine in my yoga pants” is one of my favourites. A favourite, because that’s a fairly good visual of what’s happened to us gals that are over 40. Take a trip to any gift store and you’ll find wine themed aprons, glasses, pillows, t-shirts. Evidently they’ve got us pegged.

I remember a decade ago, when I looked at ladies in their 40s and thought “What’s with all the wine?”  I’m not sure what I was doing or drinking at the time (likely because I was busy eating without consequence), but I remember feeling a tad superior. In my mind, those women were lushes and clearly had a problem.

Now, here I am looking forward to my Friday night first pour with my girlfriends. There’s something about sharing a glass (bottle) that really keeps us in the moment. When we sit with our favourite wine we’re calm, relaxed and enjoying the moment.  We reflect on the week past, make plans for the days ahead and always laugh. So now I get it.

Let’s face it, the last time we really indulged, we were in our 20s. We drank in a group – and usually nursed some kind of cooler because our student budget didn’t allow for much more. Life was all about fun and excess. Our 30s were filled with new boyfriends, new marriages, new jobs, and new homes. For some, the blessing of children. Lots to ‘woo hoo’ over. But, responsibility kept revelry to a minimum. No point in having a slow, social glass of wine when you’re about to fall asleep with your toddler and will be waking when they do at 6am.

No wonder all the gals let loose when they hit 40.  For starters, our kids are older, giving us more time to ourselves. But mostly, life gets a bit more complicated. Work is more stressful. Older kids, bigger problems. Sickness and health become top of mind. Life is changing quickly. Making those social, relaxing moments all the more necessary. Dinners out, friends in the yard. Finding time to unwind is definitely a priority. Unlike our excessive days, drinking now is about sharing time with friends, appreciating a good glass (thanks Miche for the best recommendations!), and relaxing.

I’m not sure I relate to the photos of the giant wine glasses, or the concept of purse wine (yes, that’s a thing), but I do know that I’m suddenly one of those women that I mocked years ago.

My mom and her friends drank tea. I suppose that’s the next phase once the wine phase wears off. When a glass of vino brings on a hot flash or adds on a few pounds, my gals and I will start our search for the best teas. If you’ve noticed, there’s just as many tea themed gifts as wine-o merchandise. Maybe we’ll even drink from giant tea cups.

Find yourself a sudden wine connoisseur? You’re in good company. Oh – and if you find another article on the evidence of wine improving your health, send it to me. I can’t get enough of those.