Never Too Old

I’ve realized a couple of things this week.  First of all, you are never too old for any emotion that you think you “outgrew.”  There is no outgrowing the human condition.  Yesterday when we were at the pool, Sam and I decided to stand under the buckets that gradually fill up with water and then flip over and dump the water out, most likely on your head.  So there I was basically asking it to happen, and it did.  Voila!  I got a huge bucket of water dumped smack on my head.  Wow!  Even though I should have been prepared for it, it was a shocker nonetheless.  I don’t think you can ever get too old for that feeling of shock when someone dumps a bucket of water over your head, even when you asked for it.  Shock aside, it’s kinda cool.  We are all always kids in some ways, all always human.

As if a bucket of water over the head wasn’t enough of a shock this week, I had an even worse shock, including a flashback to junior high school.  (Now THAT is bad!)  Someone I considered to be a really good friend refused to acknowledge me and avoided me like the H1N1 virus for the entire week.  And, get this, all this is taking place while taking our kids to a Vacation Bible School to learn to be good Christians!  Unbelievable!  I can’t believe that a grown mature adult, a PARENT, would do that to anyone, especially someone who is/was supposed to be their close friend.  What was even more shocking was how absolutely awful I felt, like someone had kicked me in the stomach over and over again.  Now I know you are never too old to have your feelings crushed by a “friend.”  It was as gut-wrenching as it was in 7th grade, perhaps even more so since I was so out of practice!

After much reflection I tried to raise the situation above the seventh grade standard.  I tried my best.   By mid-week I even called and left her a voice mail, apologizing for anything I might have done, even though I was pretty sure I hadn’t done anything.  Instead of getting angry, I told her how much it hurt my feelings that she was acting like she didn’t know me.  All I got back was a three line email eight hours later with no explanation and more of the same treatment, completing a miserable week for me.  (The Vacation Bible School was awesome, though!)

So if you are never too old to act or feel like a kid, today I’m going to embrace the positive aspects.  Bring on the Pop Rocks, bomb pops, and fudgicles!  I’m going to do a cannonball off the diving board and break out some of my favorite Judy Blume stories.  However, I am going to try my darnedest to acknowledge and be kind to everyone in my path, because some of those kid emotions need to be left in the past.

LibbY