18 Jun What’s Your Age? by Carol Storey
When I was a little girl, the world looked huge. I saw my parents and other adults who seemed to have everything their heart desired. They could buy anything, say anything, do anything, and go anywhere they wanted. It seemed to me as a little girl that they had it made. They did a really good job of being “grown up”.
Like every other kid, I yearned for that day when I would be “grown up”. Little did I know back then what layed before me and how hard a ‘grown up’ life could be.
There was a song in the 50’s or 60’s that went like this:
Is That All There Is…….
At each age in the song, it described how we look forward to each milestone age (13, 16, 18) with great anticipation and when that age is reached those disappointing words came again – Is That All There Is? As I reached each age with great anticipation that the world would dramatically, magically change – poof- I was reminded of that song because I was the same as the day before. We get our license to drive, woohoo I’m free at last – um rewind, no there are still restrictions we have to follow and who turns their lid out on the road the day after the can drive alone………nope not me either with my kids. Lol! But, those words rang loud and clear in my head – Is That All There Is?
How about you? Have you heard those words ringing in your head when you thought some earth shattering event was going to change everything?
I asked my Mom one day after I was married and had kids of my own….”Mom, when did you feel like a ‘grown up”? She laughed and said, “What are you talking about?” Me – “Well, was it when you got married, had me, or maybe when your parents died – when can I feel like I’ve arrived at adulthood?” Mm – “No, you just feel like an orphan.” Wow, I was not expecting that answer.
What about you? Do you feel like a ‘grown up”? Or does the responsibilities of life just make you feel like an orphan with no one to turn to for support or too much to do to even think about it? Did the little girl or little boy envision something totally different than where you are today?
There’s a commercial on TV that brings out the little girl in me and makes me laugh every time I see it. The Setting: A conference room with officers and a CEO seated at the conference table. They’re eating gummy bears and they’re talking in their little kid voices. Even the CEO is enjoying his gummy bear and his little kid voice. I wish we could keep our childlike sensitivity even when we are supposed to be the “grown up”. Wouldn’t life be much more fun?
So, no matter what age we are, we need to enjoy the moments because we wake up one day 65 years later and wonder how all those moments have got us to 65 because we still envision ourselves 20 years younger.
More About Carol
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.