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Sheesh, it’s time to yell at memes again. Ha! This one, along with many others, really got on my old people’s nerves. Seriously, memes like this promote the perpetual Peter Pan syndrome and make the horror of being a grown up sound so unpleasant, no one would ever want to do it!

And here we are, now living in a culture with an incredible shortage of grown ups. Coincidence? I think not.

Ironically, I learned the truth about getting older from old people. Growing up is awesome! Getting older is a huge gift, one many are not blessed to experience.

You do NOT gain 30 pounds overnight. I totally would because I’m defiant that way, but actually a good chunk of older folks struggle to keep weight on. Your metabolism tends to slow down a bit, but for the most part, without any metabolic diseases like diabetes or thyroid issues, it’s not even noticeable. I would love to lose another 30 pounds, but I’m actually 30 pounds lighter than I was in my 20s.

I would rather sleep than go out, true, but I’ve been that way since forever. I actually drag myself out more often these days. I’m far more active than I used to be and certainly more inclined to do things without the struggle of lugging around car seats and putting on everybody’s shoes and coats.

Everything hurts? I suppose so, but everything actually hurts less than it used to. Comfort comes before style, well yes, but that is just wisdom. I am laughing, I used to wear heels a lot, but now I have happy feet 24/7. I have heated, massaging insoles in the winter, and cooling ones in the summer with all sorts of fancy reflexology going on. I am a total foot hedonist, I’m telling you. “Happy Feet” was not just a movie about singing Penguins, it can also become a way of life.

Also, I’m not actually the one going to the grocery store in my pajamas to buy tylenol and 3 gallons of chocolate ice cream….

College students look like 12 year olds?? Well, yes, yes they do. I haven’t figured that one out yet. I almost asked a cop for his ID the other day, because I wasn’t sure if he should even be driving yet. Fortunately I bit my tongue. I did tell a grown man the other day to make sure he wears his coat and he told me he was 30, so that was kind of awkward.

I am not “always annoyed,” but the struggle is real, I’m telling you. People don’t get any easier to deal with and your patience starts to hit a wall. I’ve now peaked. I’ve hit a plateau. I have now spent several decades developing patience and the ability to give people tons of grace, so I think it’s now time for you to develop the ability to get out of the way.

I am kidding……except for when people stand in the middle of aisles twirling their hair, completely unaware that no one can pass by because you have draped yourself so elegantly across all means of escape, now consumed by trying to take a selfie with the Cheerios….

We have this pastor who is always saying, you should be getting get softer, gentler as you get older. I like that very much. Far too many people use the excuse of being older as an excuse for being cranky. True, if you’re sick or something, or in a great deal of pain, you can be cranky and we’ll cut you some slack, but for the most part he is right, we need to be growing kinder as we get older, not crankier, no more entitled.

I am really fortunate, I’ve had a lot of good examples of that in my life, and I know what the kindness of older folks looks like. There have been a lot of them, lifesavers at just the right moment, usually just offering some encouragement or inspiration. I’ll never forget when covid first hit, our area lost it’s darn mind, and we were literally all masked up, standing on taped x’s on the floor, waiting for permission to move two feet to the left, when the Lone Ranger just strolled right in and upset the whole apple cart.

Adulting can be a whole lot of fun.