When did that happen? I remember the days when I didn't even get off of work until 2:30 am, and even then I had a good hour before I would be home. In those days I would still get up in the morning and be "mom". I would totally abuse my body with all the wrong foods, drinks, hours and so much more, but yet the days went on. Now back to today, I don't remember getting older.
I think there may even be something wrong with my eyes. The reason I say this is that when I look in the mirror, I don't see older. I find myself often surprised to discover that someone I know is younger or my same age. I had more often then not, believed them to be older....oops! I don't think it's a maturity thing. My life screams responsibility and I am definitely the grown up in my home. But somehow I still see me as 25 tops. I usually feel physically young and hope that I look as young to others as I see myself.
Then something like yesterday happens to keep me in check. On my 32nd birthday, with all my kids watching, I became cool. Now I don't often get to be cool to my kids. I'm the mom, eat your food, clean your room,do your homework, and don't fight with each other. You know, the typical mom. But not yesterday. On my birthday, out on the lake, I got to be a cool wake boarding mom. I think the lake levels may be a little lower today with all the water I drank. But all it took was getting up and BAM, I became cool. My kids cheering me on, my husband watching me like i was a hot mama...I was hooked. Now don't get me wrong by my bragging, I crashed far more then I stood up, but I stood up!
Now here in comes the problem with being the cool mom. I woke up at 2am to take ibuprofen, shhhh my kids don't know. I also woke up in the later hours of the morning feeling more like I am 50. Every muscle is sore, when did that happen? I am walking like I've been beat up and I'm tired. This is all very confusing to me. How can I look and feel 25 if today I am walking and feeling twenty years older? The other issue is that I had so much fun that I think we should go again today. Maybe I'm getting more daring as I get older, or I'm getting more stupid and look forward to not walking. Who knows?
So my inspiration to get me writing today came in when I woke up and can't remember when I got older. Maybe my body is aging and I just don't realize it. Maybe I'm maturing and no longer mind that it is happening. Or there is the theory that I think I'll stick with. My children keep me young. Some days they wear me out, sometimes they cause me to question my sanity, but sometimes they make me "cool". They can make me laugh, and keep me from crying. They remind me of the important things like dancing in the rain, sidewalk chalk, and sno-cones. And honestly, can you really grow old while watching Disney?
The truth is that I think with raising 5 children with completely individual personalities and also spending time as to not lose sight of what makes me an individual as well, that I'm just to busy to get old. I understand that eventually the inevitable will happen and I will age too. That day, however, is not today. Today I'm "cool". Today i could wake board. Today I could cover the floor in paper and we could paint with our feet. Today I could further my schooling. Today I could stay young for just one more day because getting old will always be for tomorrow. Stay young as long as you can get away with it because once you give in to just getting old...it is much harder to turn back!