it’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to

I know today’s blog is supposed to have a farming theme, but I’ve got more important stuff to get off my chest.

For the first time in my life I’m nervous about my birthday tomorrow. Twenty-two seemed irrelevant when it hit because I was already 21 and nothing else mattered- except that I was appreciative to be out of the 21-club. When you’re a teenager, 21 is so incandescent and you can’t wait to get there- it’s not until you actually make it to 21 that you realize how immature of an age it really is. It’s like you get your bar-pass and automatically have a reason to go out and be completely carefree. Pretty sure I may or may not have even used the term “YOLO.” Thank God that term can also mean you’re only 21 once…

Then you look forward to 22 so you’re no longer grouped with the rowdy and juvenile 21-ers. I welcomed the 22 birthday candles with open arms knowing that I was now a ripened “of-ager.” And now 23 looms…

When I was a kid I always assumed that I would get married when I was 23. It wasn’t that it sounded “old” per say, but it was definitely getting up there. It was beyond college and as far as I could see, it was when I would be the perfect age for marriage. (Luckily I have found someone that I wouldn’t mind spending the rest of my life with, making this epiphany more bearable…otherwise I might be crying in my keyboard right now.) As if somehow I saw 23 as the magic number to be an official grown up.

I somehow feel like I put a cap on my youth at 23 during my childhood. And tomorrow will mark the day that it’s officially over. In my mind I will have forever lost my child-card and will no longer be able to visit the fountain of youth. So in true form, when asked what I wanted most for my birthday, I wished for new tires on my bicycle and a swing. And I’m getting them both. Ha! Take that adulthood!

Thankfully, I have found that they do no ask for an age when ordering a Happy Meal. The fountain of youth can be found in Olay Regenerist facial lotion. And Jager bombs. You can wear outrageous (not skanky) clothing without being questioned as long as you call it “high fashion.” And you can climb trees as long as you call it “exercise.”

I know that my youth isn’t actually being taken from me. I am just having a hard time realizing that my childhood self was wrong. And that’s another thing I have a hard time admitting…

Instead of singing Taylor Swift’s song “22” and being so exciting about being 22, I guess the actual  lyrics “I’m feeling 22…” will be more true in that I’ll actually only feel 22. But Taylor beat me to the 23 club three months ago so I don’t feel so bad. It’s also an extra bummer when my last 4 birthday’s fell on Spring Break…this one fell on a Tuesday. Which, to a grown person translates to: a regular ole work day.

While sitting at my desk today, on another regular ole work day, a huge storm blew in and hail started to fall in buckets. I got a little afraid that God heard me say that I didn’t want to be 23 and took me seriously…so I had to retract that statement completely. Now I am just anxious about it.

I guess I’ll get there when I get there. Tomorrow. Or in 7 hours and 37 minutes to be exact. Working on changing my attitude in the meantime…

TWENTY-THREE HERE I COME! YOU BETTER GET READY FOR ME BECAUSE YOU AND I ARE GOING TO BE NOTHING LIKE I HAD PLANNED! HELL’S COMING AND HER YOUTH IS COMING WITH HER!

How was that?

Love always,

Addie

“Never regret getting older. It’s a blessing denied to many.” -Unknown

Plain old covers and Walls

You know what I’ve been thinking lately? It really is hard to judge a book by its cover. Some of the best books ever written have dated, simple, solid color covers binding them together. How are we supposed to judge that when there’s not even a picture to depict something that has to do with the plot? Or what about the books that have subtle “symbols” on the cover that you can’t quite understand until after you’ve read the book? Or the one’s whose cover doesn’t at all match what you envisioned in your head while reading the book? Maybe that’s just how society is evolving. Used to, people didn’t need a certain color or picture on the front of a book to convince them to read it. They read out of sheer enjoyment and curiosity. Not that people don’t still do that, but more and more I think we find ourselves literally judging what we want off of reviews from other people’s opinions or simply by the outward appearance that someone else created in their mind. How do you possibly deem that a self-made decision? Two people can look at the exact same object and see two totally different things. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t take other people’s word into consideration, but we do need to start weaning ourselves from the attitudes that are being fed to us by today’s society.

Ok, that intro led me to the meat of my discussion for today: don’t judge a book, don’t judge a person. There’s an old saying that we’ve all heard, “don’t judge another person until you have walked in their shoes.” As I was sitting in the McDonald’s drive-thru last night at 2:00 am, I never realized that to be more true. For example, do you think that the man working the window dreamed of growing up to work the McDonald’s night shift? Probably not. (I can’t honestly say that it would be a bad job, because I’m sure that it can be very entertaining at times to meet all the “forth-mealers” in their nightly endeavors, and if the man truly loves his job, who am I to say he doesn’t? The man could have been a road kill clean-up staff member for all I care, as long as that’s what truly makes him happy.) But the drive-thru window man didn’t look happy at all. Tiredness had overtaken him and he honestly looked a little sad, which initially could have been mistaken for rudeness, and also really put a damper on my Happy Meal.

Some people have tough lives. I don’t know why I was blessed enough to be dealt a good hand (Lord knows I don’t deserve it), but it always makes me think twice about those who didn’t quite get the “luck of the draw.” Some people are able to overcome their struggles and humble themselves, while others never even try to fight the battle because they feel like they have lost before they ever get started.

So when you run into a person that’s mean, dirty, quite, or simply working a job that you wouldn’t have chosen for yourself, remember, you don ‘t know where they’ve been and what they’ve had to endure. Battles and triumphs make us stronger, but they can also cause walls to be put up. When you judge a person without knowing or taking into consideration their story, you are not taking advantage of a life lesson. We can all learn something from each other.

Next time you’re out, take a moment to “people watch.” You’d be amazed at what you can gain from actually getting a glimpse inside someone’s life instead of taking one quick glance and shutting them out.

What have you learned from your neighbors today?

Love always,

Addie

“Your neighbor’s vision is as true for him as your own vision is true for you.” -Miguel de Unamuno