Monday Reflections – The Rough, Old Week

Last week was a rough one – an old age rough one! I’m 26 and I’m old. I know a lot of people will disagree and roll their eyes at me. Well, get ready to hold onto those eyes. They might just roll right off by the time this post is finished.

My mother says, “You’re still young. You’re at the prime of your life and have a lot to look forward to!”  I’m sorry mom, but I’m just too young to understand. (Insert emoticon mom won’t quite understand.)

Why did I feel old this past week? For starters, I came across some elementary school photos and my prom dress. Words cannot describe how terrible they both are. My siblings also insisted on listening to our “old” jams and reminding each other of bad hairstyles that involved more hairspray than necessary. We made fun of each other’s terrible taste in clothes and couldn’t wrap our mind around the fact that social media didn’t dominate our lives back then. We also talked about the stupid things we considered fun and almost got us into trouble. Here are a few.

Adding dry ice and water to a closed container can actually cause the window we didn’t mean to hit chatter. The aliens and astronauts game was put to rest. Scattering toys, cutting leaves, flowers and tree branches from our dad’s garden would not only loose its fun, but make our dad upset at the same time. Dinosaur safari was off the list. Then, comes the day I will NEVER forget! Running outside to play with no shoes on, while construction is taking place, did not have a good ending. A nail in your foot leaves a nasty gash. I still have the scar to date.  At least, no one can say we didn’t have an imagination.

I can’t handle late nights anymore. I’m overly cautious of falling down or getting sick. I can look at my nieces and remember when they weren’t even born. Although I’m embarrassed to admit it, I can see my hair starting to gray. I’m old! My mom will say you’re just growing into an adult. I’m not sure what that means. All I know is that I’m getting old. Looking at the bright side though, I can say I’m becoming distinguished. I can deal with that!