Moments D544: Age: A matter of the mind.

Okay.  It's official.  I'm old.  I mean, I was aware of it, but I've very much been in denial.

Today, I played in a last minute volleyball tournament.  I connected with 5 other players that I've never played with before.  I knew, immediately, that I was the eldest, but it wasn't until we started sharing stories and experience that I realized just how old I was within this group.

As we shared our years of experience, I shied away from listing the specific number of years.  I was vague, with "a lot of years" and "I've played a few positions"....

....and then it happened.  That magical moment where I realized that I was old.  For real.  No hiding, no denying or ignoring.

Steven, admittedly the "kid" on the team, shared that he was 22 years old.  He pressed me for how many years I've played.  I paused and dug deep into my memories.  I have been playing volleyball (more seriously) since 1990.  Hell, add another 3-4 years if you count public school as I think I really started in grade 6 or 7.

Seriously.  Shocking.

That's 24 years (plus) of playing volleyball.  That's more years than Steven has been alive.  Wow.

Old.

It reminded me of a fridge magnet that my Mom and Dad had when I was living at home years ago.

Age is a matter of the mind:

If you don't mind, it doesn't matter. 

Clever, right?  But, how very true because you  know what else? After the tournament was over (we placed second in the tournament!), I realized that I kept up with those kids. I even learned a new trick or two. I may be an old dog, but I am still (and hopefully always) still learning and challenging myself.

Today`s tournament was a great way to spend a day needing to be filled.  Not only did it keep me active and my mind off of the swirl of things going on around me, I came face-to-face with my age, I learned from the youngens and I managed to get a lot of exercise.  Perfect.

Moments realizing you can't deny your age.

Moments realizing that even if you are old, you don't need to act it.