Twenty-Four

 
The above photograph was taken on my fourth birthday. I had the chicken pox, so the only people who could attend my party were people who had already had them. Obviously, Barney had the chicken pox before me.

My twenty-fourth birthday didn't have Barney balloons (but there was ice cream cake!), but it was equally as enjoyable. I spent the day lounging with my family before making a trip to David Crockett State Park.

Highlights of the day:
- Violet sleeping 20 minutes later than usual (me sleeping 20 minutes later than usual)
- Waking up to a birthday serenade voicemail
- Pulling the birthday card to eat an extra biscuit at breakfast
- My nephew coming to visit in a dragon costume
- Violet's shoe falling off (being kicked off) into the waterfall at the park
- Seeing a lobster in the creek - no, it was not a crawdad, it was huge and it was a lobster
- A gift certificate for a one hour massage (see next paragraph regarding mom knees)
- A surprise birthday cake, complete with a single trick candle

Has anyone ever looked to you on your birthday and said, "Well, do you feel older?" Usually, I would shrug my shoulders and say I feel the same. However, this year I really do feel older. Probably partly because I have a child. And partly because pregnancy and delivering said child aged my body. Yes, I know... I'm not old. When I tell my elders that I feel as if I have aged they reply with an eye roll and something along the lines of, "Oh, please." I don't care what you say, I have. My hips ache and I have mom knees that crack and creak. But, like I said, that's probably due more to child-rearing than it is my age.

With that said, I'll stop bitching about my woes now. So my body does feel a little older, but I don't feel old. But recently I was thinking about if my soul feels older. My first thought was no, but then I came to the realization that I've always felt old. I'm not talking about wrinkles and gray hair old. I'm talking about my spirit. There's a notion that when you're young you are care free and happy-go-lucky. I suppose that's pretty accurate for most, but I've always had worries and burdens. I suppose it's in my nature. I can't tell you how many times I've been told that I have an old soul or that I am "wise beyond my years." Whatever it is, I feel the same as I always have. I'm also going to blame my old-lady style on having an old soul.

Childhood - So young and carefree. Adulthood - Living in the "real world." I don't like comparing becoming an adult to being welcomed into some mystical new world, the real world. The world full of stress, bills, and responsibilities. Then of course, childhood is all about rainbows and gumdrops. I think life is all about a happy balance of living between the two (I just had a fleeting vision of me eating gumdrops and paying bills).

Too often I hear people complain about growing older. Many adults hate their birthdays because is makes them feel "old." I look at that thought process with disdain, honestly. Growing older is a privilege that many are denied at far too young an age. So to everyone complaining, get over yourself.

And don't forget the saying, "You're only young once." As if once isn't enough. I'll admit that from time to time I find myself daydreaming of years past, but I truly wouldn't trade today for yesterday. You are only young once, but if you do it right, once is all you need.



p.s. Violet didn't actually consume leaves. However, she did get a good taste.