Pretty much my entire adult life I've gotten away with people imagining that I'm actually younger than what I really am. I attribute this to various facts: the fact that I'm single, nomadic, not career obsessed, silly (some might argue immature). But whatever the reason, people are usually shocked when I confess my age, since they were guessing that I was 5-8 years younger.
I know that this trend is only temporary, and eventually I will hit the tipping point. And though I know my day of reckoning is coming...eventually, I don't think about this too often. Well, eventually happened a few weeks ago and I am still laughing at the scenario. It goes something like this...
I attended a high school football game with a college friend a few weekends ago. It was rainy, cold and I was starving. The lines at the concession stand were long, and I didn't want to wait for marginal food in the pouring rain. So at 10:00 pm that night after the game was over I made my way to the closest Subway to procure a $5 foot long that could serve as my dinner and lunch the next day.
I was the only patron at that time and per usual I was chatting it up with the young (eighteen or something) sandwich maker. I shared with her about my night at the football game, we talked high school football and homecoming nonsense for a bit. And then I found myself picking out two oatmeal cookies before paying for my long awaited supper. As she rang up my order, she asked one last question that shattered my wishful imagery of my youthful self. And I quote,
"So, does your kid play for the Madison-Grant football team?"
Wha...What? I'm sure I flashed her an "are you serious?" look before answering with an emphatic, "No". As I made my way out of subway and to the confines of my vehicle, I had to laugh at myself. And at the pieces of my youthfulness that just eroded away with that one question. Wow? Do I really look like I would have a high school age child? Maybe. Maybe not. Regardless, it was a startling reality that I am getting older and maybe I finally look like it too.
Ah well. Sometimes the future is all of a sudden the present. Kills me.
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4 comments:
Ouch! :) She was too young to judge age besides we are young!
You must console yourself by remembering that teenagers are terrible at estimating age. In the same class of students I'd have kids guess my age from as low as 18 (now come on folks, could I really be a teacher at 18?) to 45...
So true. I experienced the same in the 8th grade classroom. Probably the same little buggers that guessed your age in sixth grade, come to think of it.
i'm with you in the "people are shocked when they find out how old i am" category.
as for your unfortunate incident...i think it was on her....not your youthfulness disappearing!
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