Sometimes I Feel Like a Piece of Bologna

When I Grow Up...

As you may know, I’m in grad school. Yep. Grad school. Have been for a couple of years, one class at a time. I’m absolutely loving it. I started a new class on Saturday. The prof broke us into small work groups. I’m in a group with three delightful people who are young enough to be my kids. One of the get-acquainted questions was, “What do you want to be doing in 10 years?”

Ten years?!?! In ten years I’ll be 72! While these young people all had their career goals, I’m thinking of the Kaiser commercial that runs in our area. It features all of these scrappy old women doing delightfully active things and singing, “When I grow up I want to be an old woman…” It’s a fun commercial, celebrating the positive side of aging for positive people.

This whole exercise was just another in a series of disconnects I’ve experienced this year. For example, at the New Years Day party, I was clearly in a “different” space. Most of the women have already retired and the men who are still working were counting the days. Meanwhile, I had just finished my annual goals and was bouncing with excitement. I’ve increased my goals in just about every area—personal, professional, spiritual… I’m so excited about what 2010 will bring. I feel 35 and can’t quite wrap my mind around the idea that I’m 62 and should be slowing down.

I suppose that part of that is that I didn’t have an active professional career. I stopped working at my apex and spent the next 18 years home schooling. I loved it and wouldn’t have traded it for anything. But I guess part of me thinks I missed something and by golly, I’m making up for it now! Or maybe I’m just in round two.

I have a friend who tells me to act my age. I guess I just forget what that is. Does anyone else experience this? Or am I the only one?

Photo Credit: PicApp.com

Labels: aging, joy