The First Signs of Aging

Okay, so I’m not that old or anything -  the big 2-2 is right around the corner and as far as I’m concerned, I’ve got at least another 60 years of truckin’ to go.  But I’ve been doing some thinking and I can’t help but start feeling like my youth is disappearing a lot faster than I imagined. It’s been a bunch of things that have been making me feel this way and  I can’t come to the conclusion of whether or not this is a good thing or bad thing. I don’t see how it’s bad, but it definitely makes me sad when I start noticing these small signs of aging. Anyone that’s my age or slightly older/younger should be able to relate with me concerning this post.

First thing’s first: it’s almost been 5 years since I graduated high school. All of my friends from hs are graduating this year (I’m in a 5 year program, hence I’m not including myself) and have already started planning out their lives. All I hear is so many different directions and so many choices and honestly, it’s so exciting to hear about. This extra year of school will be worth it, but only makes me slightly jealous that they get to jump in sooner than I do. During Thanksgiving break I ran into some people I literally haven’t seen since 2005; what an amazing and cool experience. I’m looking forward to my first high school reunion – I can only imagine how crazy it will be to see how everyone has progressed within such a short time. So yeah, this whole concept does make me feel a little old. I was at a bar a few weeks ago and was talking with the very first friend I ever made about how we could have never pictured ourselves at that very moment when we were just little kids. I’m not talking about just the alcohol we were drinking; I’m talking about the very concept of us still being friends. It’s an amazing thing that I could identify with the fact that there will always be those few friends that are there for you and will always be there to talk with you about life. Although I’ve had a lot of fun, I’m realizing that I can’t be friends with everyone I’ve met over the years. I’ve only got so much time to give. Am I crazy? Even as I’m typing this I’m thinking about how old I sound…simply put: my attitudes are changing.

But here’s where I start feeling sad/weird. As a TA, I’m surrounded by youngins (not really, but let me make my point). They’re a lot of fun to hang around and it definitely makes me reminisce from the days when I was a frosh and even the days of being a sophy. Living with others, procrastinating, video games til 4 in the morning, drinking during week nights,trying to hook up with biddies, stupid house parties, and overall, just a pretty fun time. The way things are going currently are great and I still have a fun time, but I have to say, when I compare frosh-Evan with current frosh, I see a generational gap. There’s definitely a difference between us 85-87ers with these 88-90ers.

Now for some examples. I know a bunch of them that don’t know who/what this is:

SERIOUSLY?! C’mon! It’s the Swedish Chef! I dunno, I still laugh my ass off when i see this…Or how about:

Yeah, so I chose two Jim Henson things – but he rocked! And now for a non Muppets memory:

Hellz yeah! Good luck trying to get that song out of your head…last one:

Okay yeah, so I’m not used to it being in German either…just deal with it, I could’t find it in English…

Ultimately, I’m not scared to grow up, I just feel like I need to recognize this now before I turn 30 and freak out. It’s only gonna get weirder as time goes by…

Oh and I know it’s snowing on my blog. Yay winter!