I blinked. Kenny Chesney specifically told me not to blink and I did. I kid you not I could have sworn that yesterday I was napping on my grandparents grocery store floor in a cardboard box behind the counter. I know people are ALWAYS saying time goes by fast. But the older I get, the scarier it gets, the more surreal it gets. I am pretty sure I’ll have a full-out panic attack whenever I turn thirty. Honestly I can’t think past thirty. Okay, I can but it is something I refrain from doing. Someone is probably thinking, “you are not even that old.” It is true. I’m far, far from it, but I think my anxiety from aging comes from being the youngest in my family. My whole life I have been the baby, and every year people tell me, “It feels like it was just yesterday when you were just this high” (and they always are bending over to show how tiny I was). So I feel like I am somehow doing everyone around me a disservice by aging, because every year it makes them feel even older. Sorry!
So, yesterday, why I was in the grocery store with the boyfriend looking around the “adult” beverage section to see if there was anything we felt like trying I felt so incredibly strange. I could have sworn that someone would come around the corner any minute and kick us out. Even this past weekend I was just waiting for someone to say, “okay jokes up” and take the drink out of my hand. But no one did. I am officially twenty-one. Darn.
Aging is probably one of the most interesting parts of life to me. I even took a class on it- Developmental Psychology. No one could deny the negative consequences that come with aging, but at the same time it makes us seem more human the more we age. Our mortality in many ways keeps us grounded, and a lot of the times, keeps us kind.
Without really officially saying so, Mason and I have essentially taken a pact to stay young forever. It is possible you know. I will let you in on our recipe-
1. Stay hungry- always try new things and look for newness in life. It is there, practically everywhere.
2. Be childish. Not emotionally, but physically. We are constantly running around and goofing off like children.
3. Worry less, laugh more. Seriously. People should try developing short-term memory loss. We can get upset like anyone can, but we try our best to make it short. We get what we need to off our chest. If it is something big, we find a solution and then move on. I would say our average worry rate is 5 minutes. Anything longer means something bigger is wrong, and it NEEDS to be fixed. Mostly, it is probably just ruminating on things that aren’t necessary. (This one is a big one for me, hence the paragraph long explanation.)
4. Laugh at least 70% of the day. I’m pretty sure we are addicted to laughing, or maybe we are just addicted to making each other laugh. It is definitely nice to have a partner in crime. If you don’t, youtube videos and comedies work wonders. Let’s be honest, life is just like one big comedy sometimes!
5. Dream big. My dreams make me feel full of life and give me a greater purpose. Plus, they come from my childhood, so it is like I am appeasing my inner child.
6. Don’t get too busy. I read a quote the other day that if your calling is calling, make sure it isn’t getting a busy signal. It really is true, I do it all the time. I think, I can’t do that now because of certain reasons, mostly that I am busy doing other things. I can’t put important parts of me on the back burner.
7. Animals. Enough said. Kittens, puppies, etc. LOVE!
Proof of inner child happiness…>>>
We couldn’t even keep a straight face in England. ^^^
Mason is the king of river fashion statements^^^
I always get laughs when I try to be gangsta!^^ 
This face gets whatever it wants^^^^
This face gets lots of stares^^^
Beating up Kassie brings out Mason’s inner happiness…
Especially when sticking me in crevices, cracks, trees, cabinets…..
Even little things like goofy Christmas cards…
All in all, we have a blast 24/7!
I’m sure there are a lot more things I could think of, but it would make this post very long. So, keep adding to the list yourself. No one knows how to make you young forever quite as well as you yourself do. People hate aging because they forget how to have that youthful, carefree happiness again. It is scary getting older, but only because I think time is running out or because I can’t do things anymore. But, that is not true. There is always more time and anything is possible! People are proving that to themselves and the world everyday. Just need a little faith and pixie dust 🙂
But most importantly, every age is beautiful, and every year of our lives has a purpose.
Simply & Softly 