Old Lady in a Young Body

I am 34 years old.  Last week at the grocery I was buying beer and the cashier asked for my ID.  (Which in no way irritates me or frustrates me or makes me feel "inconvenienced."  I will flaunt my ID to anybody who questions my age when buying alcohol!)  When the cashier looked at my birthdate, she raised her eyebrows and gave me a second look.  Then she said "I would have never guessed you were that old."  And now she is my new best friend.

But it is true, I do look younger than my years.  I'm not passing for a high schooler or anything, but I'm petite and in reasonably good shape (especially after 3 kids) and I received the good genes from my parents in the hair and skin departments.  I make a decent attempt to take care of myself and live a healthy life (ignore the beer purchase mentioned above) and I suppose that helps as well.

However... I think my brain is that of a 70-year-old woman.  I have been thinking a lot lately about how OLD I feel sometimes and that leads to thoughts about how "uncool" my kids are going to think I am soon, if they don't already.  So often I feel like that crabby old lady who refuses to embrace the next new and improved thing that is out there.

Example #1: While I do own a smart phone, I really don't care to have one.  Brandon upgraded our mobile plan or something and we got new phones for free, so one day 2 boxes show up in the mail and he says "Here is your new phone."  (Case in point: I don't even know how I got this thing.)  I use it to make phone calls, send text messages and upload the occassional picture to Facebook.  That is all.  It does not have Angry Birds (much to my children's dismay).  I do not have any cool apps.  (The only one I have downloaded is for the public library and I have never used it.)  It doesn't have any music or TV shows or movies or anything fun.  It is not an iPhone.  (Nor do I own an iPod or iPad or iAnything for that matter.)  Brandon said when we are due for the next phone upgrade I can get an iPhone.  I said no.

Example #2: I do not know how to use Pinterest or Twitter.  Nor do I care to learn.  I tried looking up something on Pinterest once, at someone else's suggestion, and I was so overwhelmed and confused and unable to find what I wanted so I quit and never went back.  I do have teacher friends and designer friends who are on there all the time, and for their purposes it makes total sense.  I even know some people who get recipes from there and I suppose that's a good idea, too, but I'll touch on that later.  I have no use for a website that gives me the abilities to play make believe.  Because let's face it, if I pin something to one of my boards (You're impressed I know that lingo, aren't you??) the chances of me actually getting around to making it or doing it or reading it or going there or whatever are slim to none.  I'm a realist like that.  As far as Twitter, I don't understand the point.  I'm on Facebook and I post things there - why post the same thing somewhere else where presumably the same people are reading it?  I also don't understand the whole "hash-tag" thing.  I could probably do a little research and figure it all out and I might even find some people on there I would like to at least follow, but "figuring it all out" is something I would pin on one of my boards and we all know how that is turning out.

Example #3: I like paper!  No, I think love is a better word.  I do not have (or want) an eReader because I love a good, old-fashioned book.  I do not use the calendar or planner function on my phone (I think it has one...) because I like my pretty new paper planner with pink flowers on the front.  I subscribe to Kraft Foods magazines and I keep them all.  When I want to look up an old recipe or find something new for dinner, I flip through the pages - I do no look them up online or search Pinterest.  (Note: I am not a hoarder.  That is not where this is going.)  Last Christmas I was mad because the section of the newspaper that lists the holiday TV guide was missing.  My sister said "You can just download the app to your phone and it will tell you what is on each day."  Ummm... no.  Not only do I not know how to do that but I want my paper!

Example #4: I own a Snuggie and I love it.  You probably didn't see that one coming since every other example has been technology-related.  But that's right, this girl is old in more ways than one!  I am cold almost all the time.  Brandon is hot 99.9% of the day.  I have finally given up on the thermostat war so to keep myself comfortable while watching TV at night I curl up in my Snuggie.  It is super soft and comfortable and just thinking of it right now is making me sleepy.  I remember when I was young my Great Grandma had a similar thing that looked like a giant quilt that she wore while knitting.  It was different from a Snuggie in that it went on like a robe and zipped up the front - kind of like a baby's sleep sack.  And I remember thinking how warm and cozy it looked and how nice it would be to have one.

Until recently being "old" didn't really bother me - I refered to myself as the "crabby old lady" earlier but I really am a "happy and content old lady."  But now I feel like it is catching up with me and I am going to really, REALLY fall behind the times and become the crazy old lady that everybody makes fun of.  Do I just give in and embrace all this?  Can I do some sort of exercizes, like the contestants on the Biggest Loser do to reverse their body age??  I guess I need to start taking some action... later!  As long as I'm a happy old lady I'm going to let it slide a bit longer!