Compared To What?

I looked up the lead singer of the band Fun (of the official 2012 summer anthem of 15-22 year olds, “We Are Young”) because I wanted to know how old he is.  He has that William H. Macy look to me, where he could pass for 65 regardless of how old he actually is.  I guessed he was actually 22, but guess what- he’s thirty.  If I had known that, I too might have adopted the song as my summer anthem.  I was pondering this information when the song came on the radio the other day while I was at the dentist.  My new scale for determining if you are actually young or just young at heart is Are You Old Enough To Be My Dentist?  Nate Ruess, you could be my dentist.  Maybe there should be a different scale if you choose rock star as opposed to dentist as a career path…subtract seven years for famous musicians?  Unless you’re a classical musician, then add 7 years.

I absolutely love getting older.  (Read that in an Eloise at the Plaza voice, please, then add the qualifier “mostly.” I’m not loving having a kink in my back that won’t go away or feeling sick if I happen to eat 15 Laffy Taffys.  Back in my youth, my go-to gas station snack was a Dr. Pepper and a box of Sugar Babies, no worries.)  To celebrate my new 32-ness, I went to a Zumba class on the day after my birthday.  Zumba for me resembles Kermit the Frog doing the old soft shoe more closely than it resembles Latin dance.  But the best thing about getting older is that no one cares!  I’ve finally got it out of my head that work-out classes are going to be filled with perfectly fit 20 year-olds with fancy workout clothes and good hair.  The reality is people of all ages, some just wearing regular old t-shirts, all body types, all just doing the best they can.  

Another thing I really love about getting older is driving a van.  It’s secretly the world’s greatest vehicle.  Ironically it makes me feel young, because I learned to drive in my parents’ vans.  There’s nothing like getting into a sweltering hot minivan to make me feel 16 for a split second.

Sadly, our van will probably be imploding soon due to the number of acorns that have been forced through the grill.  It would be nice if children would listen every time you tell them something, but it’s also nice to have actual children and not just mini-robots.