Skip to main content

Too Old

I was in my bathing suit yesterday, doing my annual Spring/Summer cleaning of our wrap-around porch.  Being in my bathing suit while in DC brings ONE THING to mind – SLIP ‘N’ SLIDE!!!  I got a Slip ‘n’ Slide a few years ago for my birthday, and even though I have only used it a couple of times I really like it.  Both times we set it up, some neighbor kids came over to slide with us.

Well, yesterday when I thought of the Slip ‘n’ Slide, I wondered, “Will the little neighbor girl think she is too old this year to play on it?”. 

And that got me starting to think about the concept of AGE APPROPRIATENESS.  I realized that I never went though the stage of feeling “too old” for anything.  Here I am just a few weeks shy of age 48 and I can’t think of a darn thing that I am “too old” to play with or do.  Not only that, I don’t need to have a kid by my side to grant me access to anything, either!
  •         Bouncy house?  Lemme rip off these shoes – I am in!
  •         Blasting “Schoolhouse Rock” in the car and singing along at the top of my lungs??  Can someone say, “So I unpacked my ADJECTIVES!”
  •         Sloshing through rain puddles while wearing my wellies (rain boots)??  Hellz yeah!

I never examined it before, but I think being willing to participate in any activity or event – whatever “age it was designed for”, is a big part of what makes me who I am.  Where others may see an age limitation or boundary, I see none. 

Sure, there are some things that ONLY adults can do, such as drive or drink alcohol.  And there are some things that adults NEED to do, mammograms and paying taxes come to mind.  But as much as I wrack my brain, I can’t think of any fun thing that adults SHOULDN’T DO.

So I am happy to report that all of these things will continue to show up in my life and I will participate in them with abandon:  blowing soap bubbles, burying people in sand at the beach, sidewalk chalk art, attending as many circuses as I can find, and eating cupcakes.  My 8 year old neighbor might be “too old” for them, but I am not!







*If you now have “Unpack Your Adjectives” running around in your head, you can hear it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkuuZEey_bs
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Presents

We are old. Giving gifts has always meant a lot to me.  I was raised in a household that valued gifts, valued “things” actually.  At Christmas time, the base of our tree would be piled hiiiigh with presents wrapped in brightly colored paper tied with neatly curled ribbons.    Birthdays would mean being spoiled by more gifts.   Even Valentine’s Day came with a present.   So, without being overtly taught, I learned that love was shown by giving something tangible.   As I became an adult, I noticed people older than me asking for things for the holidays that I thought were silly – cheese, wine, nuts…   “Those aren’t PRESENTS,” I remember thinking. “Presents are touchable, physical things – things to be KEPT, not to be consumed.”   So, when I found my life partner, I showered him with GIFTS.   Gifts wrapped just as I had been subconsciously taught must be wrapped in beautiful paper, tied tight with a bow.   But it didn’t take long for me to notice that my love and
Post a Comment
Read more

We Ride At Dawn

I can’t be the only one feeling down. And stressed. And nervous. And angry. And confused. And just about every other negative emotion that could be listed. There is just so much ANGST in the world right now, especially with the upcoming elections in the US.   And sometimes (at least for deep feelers like myself) it just feels like a little too much to bear. But then I get a reminder. A reminder that even in the midst of all of these sleepless nights and fret – there IS good in the world. I got 2 reminders recently, and I thought I should share them in case you haven’t had any.   I don’t know, I guess with the hopes that the reminders I came across will help boost your spirits a bit, too. Here’s the first one. This hat. We came home the other day and this was hanging on our front doorknob.   Now, we have had a LOT of things left on our porch over the years – rusty cans of soup, brand new snow boots, and everything in between – but this was t
2 comments
Read more

The Girl Who Can't Ride a Bike

I am “the girl who can’t ride a bike”. I guess to be accurate, I should say that I WAS “the girl who can’t ride a bike”.   But it was such a big part of my identity growing up, that the never formalized (but often teased about) nickname stuck in my psyche. You know how most kids love to jump on their bikes and pedal around the neighborhood once they have figured out how to balance, brake, and GO?   Yeah, that wasn’t me.   I wasn’t that kid. I am not sure WHAT really happened. The one thing I do remember is being on a bike in my family’s garage in Omaha, Nebraska trying to ride my bike.   It must’ve been winter, otherwise, why wouldn’t I have been outdoors??   But I think my foot slipped off the pedal and I know for sure my knee hit the handlebar.   It hurt.   I remember crying. But I am guessing that it hurt my pride more than it hurt my knee.   I think I was already past the age where kids were “supposed” to ride a bike.   But then and there I must’ve secretly made
7 comments
Read more