OLDER NOW
Signs of getting older can pop up when you least expect it.
Perhaps it happens when you are leaving the house and think
to yourself, 'Wow. I really should go back and get my raincoat..'
which is strange because for most of your life you never wore
a raincoat and seemed to be just fine. Or perhaps getting
older pops up in other ways. Maybe you are on the subway
platform on your way to work. You are reading the paper.
You are sipping a coffee and hoping you didn't leave your
cell phone at home. You see a cute pack of teenage girls
on the platform each dressed in their various forms of
rebellion. You are particularly struck by the girl no older
than fourteen wearing a micro mini skirt, a tiny tank top
and blue suede spike heeled boots at eight in the morning
and while the inner you wants to say,'wow-cool. I wonder
where she got her boots.' the inner older now person in
you wants to scream out, 'young lady-you get back in
this house and change your clothes!' Now.
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I am reminded of something that happened to me once.
My senior year of high school I was granted a writing
scholarship for college. The scholarship was to be
given to a young woman that wanted to study writing
in college and that was raised on Long Island. The
scholarship was funded by two parents that had lost
their daughter in a terrible car accident. My
application and writing submission reminded them
most of their daughter.
My friends and I made plans to go to a concert in
the city. I got dressed for the night and put on a
mini that barely covered my ass, fishnet stockings
and combat boots. I had a green streak in my hair
and wore about 10,000 bracelets. There was a knock
at the front door to my parent's house. No one was
home but me. I ran downstairs thinking my friends
had come to pick me up early but no. Standing at
the door were the 'anonymous' donors of my
scholarship resembling Thurston and Mrs. Howell
on their way to the Hamptons.
