Forty Days - Jill Smolinski

Short Story Title: Forty Days
Author: Jill Smolinski
Book: American Girls About Town
Rating: 4 out of 5 horses

First Line:

"I didn't think it was any big deal. Turning forty."

This is a quirky story about Donna who is turning 40 and feels her life is too conservative. So she decides for the 40 days before her birthday she is going to do something she has never done an each day is different. Her first task is to go skinny dipping - which goes great until her Dad walks into the pool.

I really liked this story and liked the concept of doing 40 things and Donna going out of her comfort zone. Getting out of her comfort zone was a big success...and her last task was excellent. I could really relate to Donna feeling like she lead too conservative life and challenging herself...I might think to do this when I turn 40 (which will be in a little over a year and 1/2).

One of my favorite ideas from this story is "Ghost Fat" -this is for people who have lost weight but still see themselves as fat and still act as if they are fat.

"...There's a whole other world out there. It's filled with the type of people who don't think twice abut going away last-minute. Who as a matter of habit drop everything and do the sorts of things I was trying desperately to cram into forty days. Making up for forty years."

I really like this quote because I can relate...I am also not a spontaneous person and couldn't just run off to Vegas because someone else was ready...especially now that I am a Mom...as if I couldn't get more conservative and less spontaneous...but it happened!! LOL! But then again I wouldn't give it up!