28

Yesterday was my birthday. I turned 28.

I have a question for all of my 30 year old and over friends. Did it ever start to get to you a little bit...the closer you got to the big 3-0? Did you ever feel panicky or try to start rowing backwards?

The other day, I was remembering a line from Deana Carter's song "Strawberry Wine":

I remember
when 30 was old

I totally identify with that. Now that I'm getting closer to that number, it doesn't seem so old. Or maybe that's just something I like to tell myself so I feel better. ;)
At what point do we grow up? When are we considered to be a grown up? 30 just seems so serious.
Yeah, I know, I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself...it's 2 years away. It just feels so much closer this time around.
There's this movie I watched not too long ago called "The Straight Story". It's about how this old man, Alvin, rides his little tractor hundreds of miles just so he can reconcile with his ill brother. Along the way, he meets a variety of people from all different walks of life. There's this one scene where he's having a conversation with a group of young cyclists:

Alvin Straight: You don't think about getting old when you're young... you shouldn't.
Cyclist #1: Must be something good about gettin' old?
Alvin Straight: Well I can't imagine anything good about being blind and lame at the same time but, still at my age I've seen about all that life has to dish out. I know to separate the wheat from the chaff, and let the small stuff fall away.
Cyclist #2: So, uh, what's the worst part about being old, Alvin?
Alvin Straight: Well, the worst part of being old is rememberin' when you was young.

The hardest part of getting old is remembering that you were young once. I think there's so much truth to that.