I”m pretty tired of hearing members of my generation saying the phrase “I”m getting old,” usually preceded by a loud, ugly groan.
Folks, I will be turning 28 on Monday and you won”t hear me complaining about getting older. To paraphrase Barney Stinson from “How I Met Your Mother,” I”m just getting more awesome.
Ever since I was little, I”ve always wanted to be and to act older. I think I developed a sense of inquisitiveness at a young age just to accomplish that.
I can remember being 8 and burying my head in books, trying to learn about anything and everything. I certainly thought I knew a lot when I was 18. Of course, I was full of that awesomely awful teenage bravado. I was a smart kid but I didn”t know jack squat, especially about the world and how things work. Ten years later, I really see and feel how much I”ve grown and learned about life.
Maybe many would desire to be that young and innocent again. Not me. Keep moving forward.
Perhaps my family members aided me in my quest for experience and knowledge growing up. Many of my relatives used to say that my 5-year-old self used to talk on the phone like a grown up. I”m sure they were being quite generous but it did wonders for my confidence in myself and my brain, so to speak. I credit their praise for making me unafraid to raise my hand in class as often as possible and striving to achieve.
Throughout pop culture, TV and movie characters often freak out about aging, especially around class reunion time. Some of these characters peaked in high school; Al Bundy from “Married with Children” is a prime example. Other characters fake being successful to either continue the good times they had in high school or to appear better than everyone.
I don”t know what I would do with myself if I allowed my life to peak in high school. Hell, I feel like my life is still climbing toward said peak, if my life is to do that at all. I hope it never does peak because there”s always more to see, experience and learn.
Part of growing up for me was also about reaching that next age goal: the freedom of 18; being able to go to bars and to gamble at 21; being able to rent a car at 25. Turning 30 is nightmarish for many and it always seems like people think its downhill from there. The hell it is.
I still have so many milestones in life to reach. While I am impatient to achieve those adult milestones (get married, start a family, buy a house), I”m certainly not going to make myself miserable in the meantime. My mid- to late-20s has certainly had its bumps, but it”s truly been the best time in my life and that makes me even more excited at the possibilities of what is to come next.
I wish we could change the negative stereotype of getting older. Why not embrace your age and who you are? Or if you are unhappy with aging, try out new things (without making a spectacle of yourself, that is). Don”t be afraid to make yourself happy. A little selfishness can be healthy.
For me, 28 is about getting one year closer to my adult goals while continuing to challenge myself and enjoy the company of all the people in my life. That”s what aging should be all about.
Kevin N. Hume can be reached at kevin.n.hume@gmail.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 14.
