Getting Older

My deep ponderings this week included aging. Well, I guess I think about it a lot, but not always very deeply. Obviously, you think about it at birthdays and graduations, but it is not extremely often that one thinks about the day to day changes that add up to the big change.

There are huge advantages and huge disadvantages of growing older. It seems that these can be smaller at different points in time. For example, going from 15 to 16 is much bigger than 34 to 35. I will admit, as I have not reached either of these ages yet, this statement is from observation of others. Why do we want to get older? Why do we want to stay younger?

Getting older can be great. There are more opportunities, but with these opportunities come responsibility. Once you get a later curfew, you also have to work harder to maintain the respect and trust that it desires. Getting older also gives you more authority. You climb higher on the social ladder, especially when you move up a grade. Why does it not matter when we survive another term, but once you make it through a whole year, there are 400 more kids below you? Generally, people don't acknowledge day to day differences. I think that this is because sometimes they are hard to notice. Look back at yesterday, and things are pretty much the same. Look back at a month ago, and there can be some significant changes. Take it back a year, and you hardly recognize yourself or another from then. Driving is a great example. Every day, my mom lets me drive a little farther. Yesterday was pretty much the same, but I could not drive on the freeway a week ago. A month ago, I was lucky to drive out of the ward. A year ago, a permit was still in my dreams. A year from now, I'll be driving on my own. Those little steps add up to big things. Dating is another example. In elementary school, the only reason a girl liked a boy is because that's what older people did. Junior high is when things get confusing, and before you know it, you're a dating teen. For me right now, I am so darn sick of the baby steps, and I am ready to be 16, to be able to have so much more freedom. But then I remember that it's not complete freedom, there are still restrictions.

Becoming an older teenager means you have a car to be taken away for punishment, and your parents know everything you do. You have to work harder to balance time, and there are more things to be tipped over. When you pass your teenage years and become parents, then you have to worry about the differences for your kids as they grow older. Also, your body starts to fall apart. This is generally when people want to stay younger, aging doesn't look so appealing. One day your knee starts to hurt when you're running, then your back isn't as strong as it used to be. And day by day, you get old. It isn't noticed that yesterday was slightly different from today, but last year was way different from this one.

Pay attention to the little things. Enjoy getting older, there is good that comes with the bad. As my dad has told me, "Don't live in tomorrow when today's still here." Don't worry about or dwell too much on aging. It is a fact of life, but enjoy who you are right now and how you're different from who you were yesterday.