Friday, April 8, 2011

Turning 24 has never felt so OLD

Maret:  Katie, you’d be so proud of me! I went to the gym yesterday!
Me: Yeah?
Maret: Yeah, and I’m never going back!
Heather: Wait, how old are you?
Maret: 24...
Heather: oooohh....ohhh....uhhh...just you wait!  24 is the age when your metabolism starts slowing down.  I used to be your size, then I turned 24....
EXCUSE ME?!?!  Since when is turning 24 the age in which you start AGING?!  I like to think 24 hardly puts me at a 1/4 of my life so why is my body already at a point to start slowing down?  PEOPLE, I’M JUST GETTING STARTED!!
Now, before anyone yells at me, I know that I work out enough that I don’t need to be super concerned about this happening to me yet because chances are I have a metabolism faster than most people my age due to the fact that I’m constantly challenging it and pushing my body further.  But I’m looking at this in more than just a slowing metabolism way - I’m talking about my body aging at 24!!  If my metabolism is starting to slow already, what else is going on that I don’t know about?  I have the joints of someone twice my age.  I often feel like I need to take ginkgo biloba or something to help my fading memory.  But now you’re telling me I have even more to worry about already?
And let’s not forget the fact that I’m surrounded by people my age getting married and having babies while I’m still working on getting my career and life together.  Really, it amazes me how we all move at our own paces and while we start our lives at the same time and watch each other grow up, once we graduate high school we all really go on very different journeys.  Whether we have been friends for years and stay in touch, grew apart at some point but still follow up on occasion or only know what’s going on based on news feed updates on Facebook, we end up on such different paths so quickly.  
And don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy for my friends (acquaintances, co-workers, anyone and everyone) who are engaged, married, pregnant or thinking about any of the above, but I’m so not in that place.  I’m sure my parents are breathing a huge sigh of relief as I say that, seeing as I’m not even dating anyone right now, but even if I was, I am not ready to take that on.  My life, my career, my financial situation, my everything is not in a place where I’m ready to take on anything like that.  I mean, let’s remember, I could hardly take on the addition of a kitten into my life.  So much so, that I decided it was best for the both of us if he moved in with my friends where there were other kitties to play with and someone always around for entertainment.
Would you believe a simple conversation about going into the gym became such a statement about growing up?
...with that, I think I’m going to go for a run. :)


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