On the inside, I’m 17. On the outside, I’m not. I just turned 35. And it’s weird.
It’s weird that I’m married. It’s weird that I have kids. And It’s weird that I own a home. It’s weird that I have gray hair. It’s weird that I have varicose veins. And It’s weird that I have wrinkles.
But what’s really weird about this whole turning 35 thing: my brain. It’s nearly 2 decades behind my body. If you were to ask how old I am, 17 waits on the tip of my tongue ready to reply. I’m not sure why my brain is stuck at 17, but it is. And it’s shocked every morning when my 35 year old self shows up in the mirror to remind it otherwise.
Don’t get me wrong; I love my life. I wouldn’t trade my 35 year old self now for my 17 year old self then for anything. To me, I guess it’s simply odd that I seem to be aging on the outside and not on the inside. It appears, however, that I’m not the only one.
I asked my mom how old she feels and even though she turns 60 in September, she says she feels 35. I asked my 90 year old grandma how old she feels, and she said 60. When I asked my 32 year old husband (yes, I married a younger man), he replied 25.
What is it, do you think, that stops our internal clock from ticking?
And more importantly, has it happened to you?
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Tags: birthday
happy happy day to you!
and i’m 37 but i feel 28. i prefer it that way.
I feel the same way! It is so crazy to think of myself as a grown up, and I have a really hard time admitting that I am 31!
What is even weirder is to realize that if nothing happens (like a serious illness) and I take good care of myself, I probably only have about 10-15 years more of “good quality” life left. By that I mean where I can go and do what I want without any physical restrictions or mental impairments. That is kind of depressing. You just think that things will go on the way they are forever. Its so hard to imagine me being a little old gray-haired lady with a walker or wheelchair.
Yes I feel the same way. I don’t know what age I feel exactly on the inside, but I totally don’t feel like I an adult enough to be married, be a parent, a home owner and have a career where I am making pretty improtant decisions that impact the entire South East of the country.
I will be 30 this July 4th & I totally don’t feel like this is possible.
Like you, I wouldn’t trade my life now for the world – well maybe I would trade it for just a little while, like to re-live a good weekend in college
Maybe that is it, I feel like I am still in college & maybe that is why I don’t want to go back and visit or go to any football games, I think that it would hit me in the face that I am getting further and further away from college & that was one my most favorite times in life….pre-children!
But…
Happy Birthday! I hope you win big in Las Vegas!