27.

Several weeks ago…

Rae: What do you want to do for your birthday?

Me: I don’t know. Probably nothing. It’s 27, nothing special.

Rae: Oh my God. I can’t believe you’re that old. That was weird to hear just now. Wow, you’re 27.

Me: Exactly. Not celebrating.

Rae: That’s even more reason to do something. Man, 27 was a terrible year.

Me: Thanks, Rae. This conversation keeps getting better and better.

Twenty-seven. That is solidly creeping toward 30. But that’s not why I feel old. (David told me the other day that I am an old soul – my siblings are so uplifting!) I feel old because I find myself thinking on a regular basis things like: “Dude, just pull up your pants” and “Kids these days.”

I feel old because I use the word “kids” to refer to college aged people. Because college aged people call me ma’am and Ms. Martin and Ms. Amber. Because I do remember “back when.” Because I put a “the” in front of words that don’t require it – like “the MARTA” or “the Kroger.” Because I really don’t understand why some youtube videos are funny or why some pop songs are popular.

But none of this is very new. I’ve always been a little older than my number. (I am an old soul.) What is new though is this feeling that society asks more from me, or soon will. I am running out of this grace period where wandering is still ok and not having a solid career or family life or semblance of stability is acceptable. Perhaps to some I am well past this grace period.

Here I am anyway, at twenty..seven.. trying to figure out life, still.

Twenty seven could be a great year. In a few months I will be embarking on a new adventure. What that adventure will be is yet to be defined, but let’s not talk about that right now. (Enter my Scarlett O’Hara mode = think about it tomorrow and survive against all the odds, and vow never to go hungry again.)

Whatever adventure it is, whether it’s more school or more travel or more working for little to no money or more unemployment, it’s always worked itself into an exciting sort of tale. It will be something new, and that is always stimulating. Hard sometimes, sure, but invigorating nonetheless.

This past year has been absolutely amazing, truly and shockingly against all my worries that it may not be, so this can only bode well for this coming year . . . right?