Old

Having just turned 27 I have hit what some might call a "quarter-life crisis." This numeral, which seems innocuous, is in reality much too big a number and too many steps past 23 for me to feel entirely comfortable with it. Each year starting around the end of October I have started what I call the "aging-reconciliation-process." The process basically involves me telling people that "I am ____ years old." With the blank being filled in each year with my approaching age rather than my actual age. I don't know if I started this process each year because I was so excited to be another year older, or if it was because I really needed those extra couple of months to mentally adjust to the change.

However, 2007 has proved to be the end of the "aging-reconciliation-process." I didn't even want to say my actual age let alone the new/bigger number that was coming. I have been, GULP, 27 for a couple of weeks now and I am just barely able to say it. During my struggle leading up to my birthday I did, as I always do, talk about it with my friends and family. So many people have made "cute" comments about my feelings on aging and I wanted to share a few with you.

54 year old woman: "Please you are so young, you have all the time in the world."
*Note: Don't mom's always have to say that kind of stuff whether they mean it or not?

23 year old woman: "Well, how old are you going to be?" (I respond) "Oh." (making a face that looks like she just swallowed something undesireable) "I thought turning 23 was hard."
*Note: I hope that she has crows feet and gray hair at 27

19 year old girl: "I think its silly when people struggle with aging, I have never had a problem getting older."
*Note: That's because ALL children look forward to getting older!

21 year old guy: "Well I guess you can start dating guys in their mid-thirites now."

30 year old guy: "Don't worry, no one really expects much else from you."
*Note: Oh really, you, of all people, are going to judge my life. Ironic.

27 year old woman: "You should probably just get a cat or 2 or 500 and call it good."
*Note: Dawn-remember to discuss self-hatered with therapist.

You were probably thinking at the begining of this post that there would be some back story, the meat of my struggle,the touching moment where I had a personal epiphany and realized that 27 is not old, or I am okay with being 27, or some other load of crap, finished off with a concise morale of the story. Sorry to disappoint you, but that is not the case, I am still struggling with being 27 years old, I just don't like it. However, I am hoping to get used to it soon so that I can enjoy a few months free of age-related struggle before I get to 28 (heaven/therapy help me.)