Another year older...maybe.

Do you get nostalgic at your birthday? I always have. To me, High School was perfect: my parents were clueless and didn't really keep tabs on me or have curfews or anything so I had so much freedom, but I recognized that life would never be so free from responsibility as it was at that moment. I savored it...middle school and the emotional issues of the time were over. I could be happy, involved in anything and everything at school and "fall in love" at any time...knowing it was just high school and the seriousness of a relationship was short term and could end with PMS. I knew that despite the heartache and tears that came with HS, life was blissfully easy. It all had a deadline: graduation. After that, well...it seems that the only deadline for accomplishing life is death. That is too long and too overwhelming.

I cried the day I turned 20...the teens were officially over and I had to grow up. I had a blast in college, but it was all so serious with complicated consequences around every corner. I mourned the freedom and ease that I knew was over. Every year since has not been such a big deal because turning 20 was so dramatically devastating to me. So...now I"m 30 (again) and I think I'll just stay here because you are almost in your 20's at 30 and you should have your life together by the time you are in your 30's. I'm not there yet...so I'm trying it all again and see if I can improve this year more than I did the last...see if I can pull off this thing called "adulthood" or not. Yes, you may all write in your notes and courteously disagree, but as they say, "it is what is inside that counts." So, I'll respectfully disagree with you...and appreciate your trying to convince me to embrace my age and place in life. I don't want to get old and boring...so give me 20 years or so and I'll take that step and become 31 at last...and be quite eccentric!

How have you embraced your age? or denied it? What was your "perfect point"?