Age is more than a number..........

I have heard many people say, throughout my life, "Age ain’t nothing but a number." Who the hell are these people kidding? Seriously. I realize that my epiphany would be laughed right off of this website because I am still in my twenties, but getting older sucks. I remember when I was the ripe age of 5, my Mother and I were folding laundry in the laundry room and I said, "Mommy, I don't want to be 5 anymore, can you throw me in the dryer and shrink me to 4 again?" I know find myself buying wrinkle cream and younger looking clothes to make me feel like I am 21 again. If it was only as simple as to throw yourself in the dryer or slap on some miracle cream, everyone would find growing older a lot more pleasant.

Its funny how there is stages in your life that you want to be younger and others that you want to be older. I am the youngest of 3, my sister is 11 years my senior and my brother is 8 years my senior. You could say I was a bit of an “opps”. Needless to say I felt out of place in my family because of the age gap between my siblings and me. They were always having parties, drinking, and going out. It seemed like they were having the time of their lives. I was only like 10, but I wanted to be older and do what they were doing.

When I entered my teenage years, I wanted to be 16 so that I could drive. Then when I hit 16, I wanted to be 18 so I could buy cigarettes and go to college. In college, when I was 18, I wanted to be 21 so that I could buy alcohol and get into bars. On my 22 birthday, which was the most depressing thus far, I realized that I had nothing else to look forward to. I could do everything that I had longed to do, but I wasn’t happy. I feel that the ages 22 to 27 were the most eye-opening to me.

I got and education, married my husband, and had a little girl. The 5 years flew by quicker than the speed of light and every minute since then, keeps moving faster. As for physically aging, I really don’t feel any older than I felt t 21, but when I look in the mirror, I can tell. Not only from my visible frown lines, but my eyes show my age. I stare at myself and see so much more in my eyes, that I can’t help but feel 28. So much has happened in my life, good and bad, and I feel grateful to have made it to 28, which some people that I know have not.

This milestone in my life may not be a popular one, but it is the one that I realize that I am not immortal and that life goes on. It’s not life that scares me; it is the pace that it’s moving. Life moves and faster with every breath and every moment. Age is more than a number; it’s a state of mind.