Haiku time with a bonus!

I am getting old

There's no use denying it

Now time to accept

Several things have been brought to my attention lately that reinforce the fact that I'm getting old. Now, I don't say this to patronize, I'm only 32! It's like someone who is 15 pounds overweight complaining about what a fatty they are to people who may be morbidly obese. The fact of the matter is, there is no reversing the age factor, it's not like losing weight. Every day I get older, whether or not I notice it. To me, it feels like I stay the same, but everyone else around me ages. Then I wake up one morning and have kindergartners. Children of colleagues, whom I remember as newborns or tots, are going to Jr. High School or getting drivers licences. This realization freaks me out. I remember the first day of 7th grade, as if it were yesterday!

I was born the youngest of the youngest of the youngest of the youngest. I've always been the baby of my family, and used to being the youngest person wherever I go. All of that is fading away. I used to detest being the youngest, and welcomed the day where I would feel average. As you can see, this is all rather humbling. I don't hate the aging process, per say.... it just shocks me.

I went to the Lagoon amusement park this summer, for the first time in 12 years. I always had season passes when I was a teen, then worked there at age 16. By the time that summer ended, I was "lagooned out" and returned a handful of times before I stopped altogether. That's besides the point, just setting my situation up.

So, I'm in line for the bumper cars. The ride is still the same. The technology is the same. The cars are the same. The speech is the same. The only, and I mean ONLY thing different about this ride is the paint on the north wall. Really.

Back to standing in line-- I was sitting there reminiscing about my days operating that ride. I actually loved that ride because it kept me in the shade, and I got to test drive the cars to make sure they worked, or park them if I was on the afternoon shift. I was 16 when I worked that ride... so I looked at the operator, and realized that she is most likely 16. now. Holy Hell, I was 16 exactly 16 years ago. This means I worked this ride when she was a newborn. That was half of my life ago.

OH. WOW.

I can't stop this. My only choice is to enjoy it. Luckily for me, I look much younger than I am. Part of this is genetics, and part of this is because I don't love being in the sun. When I am, I wear insane amounts of sunscreen. I can count how many times I've been sunburned, on one hand. Yes, I'm pale and practically ghost-like, but I'm okay with that. When I'm 60, I'll look 40. Which brings me to my final point of this post.

My friend Patsy, whom I have blogged about, is still helping her husband fight cancer. Things aren't great, but they're doing what they can. She's living what would be a nightmare for anyone.... yet continues to do so with such dignity and grace. She posted this link in my comments, so I'm going to post it here: http://www.brycedbrown.com/ .

Please everyone... WEAR SUNSCREEN! If you're a parent of a teenager, do NOT allow them to use tanning beds, they kill! As my friend said, you may get protesting, but do it anyway. You're saving their life.

Also- cherish your small moments. Enjoy watching TV with your loved one. Express your love. Hug your babies tighter (even if they're not technically babies, they're still your babies!). Revel in the mundane ordinary. Love your life. Pass hope and kindness on to others. Just do it.