I'm no longer young.
This awareness didn't hit me all at once, it occurred gradually over an extended period of time. You know how old-school glass windows flow downward, but the flow happens so slowly you can't see it happening, it just eventually becomes obvious that the bottom of the window is much thicker than the top? The accumulation of evidence that proved I am past my prime happened sort of like that.These are the types of things that have been slowing increasing in frequency and intensity:
Explanations.Younger people have started explaining simple things to me because they assume I'm too old to have an understanding of them on my own. I'm a high school teacher so I'm surrounded by teenagers. The other day, one of my students looked at me and said, "Your haircut is fresh!" before sitting down at his desk and flipping through the pages of a book. After a moment, he paused, looked up and added, "That means it looks good." If I overhear a group of students talking about something they saw on Instagram or Vine, inevitably one of them will turn to me and give me a simplified synopsis of what Instagram or Vine is. They're shocked if they find out that I know how GroupMe works, or that I use Snapchat. Similarly, I find myself explaining what it was like back in the day when we used encyclopedias and didn't have Google.
Fears. Things I never thought twice about when I was younger I now have to purposefully push out of my mind to keep from losing it. Having an aneurysm. Getting murdered while out on a jog. Anything related to my children getting hurt. Most of my fears seem to be health-related. I now even view the equipment at the playground as dangerous. I often catch myself holding my breath when my kids go down the slide by themselves, even though my rational self understands that the damage would be minimal. Me, though? The last time I went down a slide I tweaked my hamstring badly enough to make me terrified of getting seriously wounded should I ever try that again. Which I won't.
Wrinkles. I remember waking up in the morning several years ago and noticing a couple of deep horizontal creases across the entire width of my forehead. I thought it was because I had slept particularly poorly the night before. Now, the horizontal creases are in no way correlated to the quality of my sleep. That's just how my forehead looks now. It's not just my face, it's my entire body. I work out regularly but no matter how fit I become I've got an undeniable sagging situation going on. Under my belly button. Above my knees. My skin's elasticity used to be as snappy as a rubber band, but now its resiliency is more on par with silly putty.
Ouchies. I have a few bodily injuries that have been progressively getting worse. These afflictions cannot be explained by any sort of trauma, they're just happening because my body is starting to wear out. I can no longer sleep on my side in bed because my shoulders begin to ache. The joint on my right foot has been bugging me; I think I might be developing a bunion. I'm not even entirely sure what a bunion is, but I can't deny that I am aging when I start using the word "bunion" in any sentence referencing myself.
I.D.s. I've stopped getting carded. If I am asked to remove my license from my wallet, it is due to a strict policy rather than a legitimate query. When this transition began, it shocked me more than it should have. I must've been in denial that others could see the gray hairs and crow's feet. I've crossed over into acceptance, and now I'm comfortable being referred to as "Ma'am" instead of "Miss" by the bartender. I find myself getting annoyed on the rare occasions when I do get carded, because it means I have to wait 30 seconds longer for my server to get my beer.
Hangovers. While I certainly still enjoy having a drink or two, I can't drink all night long anymore. Even if I could, I wouldn't want to. My stomach gets too full or I end up with a headache or I stay up way too late, and then I get pissed off because I end up wasting the next morning not feeling well or sleeping in. Two nights in a row of staying up late and drinking is pretty much out of the question. It's a good thing I'm okay with that, because my metabolism is no longer capable of keeping up with all of those extra calories.
Confidence. I'm comfortable in my own (saggy) skin. I do not care if other people think I'm good-looking. In fact, I hardly even care if I think I'm good-looking. I haven't dyed my hair in a decade and it is not uncommon for me to go an entire day without brushing it. I don't have time to care that much about looks because I'm busy focusing on things that actually matter. Not being fixated on the mirror allows me to target what is truly invigorating and important to me. This is incredibly liberating.
Happiness. I've settled down. I have an occupation, a home, a family. I'm past the stage of figuring out what I'm going to do with my life and I'm able to focus on how I'm going to live it. I'm beyond self-consciousness and self-doubt. I'm okay with who I am, flaws and all, and that allows me to focus on fostering happiness. As a result, I've never been more content than I am now.
It's no longer a sneaking suspicion, it's been confirmed that I'm no longer young. And I'm okay with that.
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