Time to go over the homework assignment from two weeks ago ("BEST IS YET TO COME" Post) Having gathered some feedback, I thought it might be fun to share some insight. I was sitting in my living room last night thinking about my younger days. Immediately a rush of thoughts came into my head about what was great and what was not so great. Having compiled a list of pros and cons, I quickly began to weed through feelings and behaviors that were best left behind versus those that I'd love to see make a comeback.
What do I remember about my younger days?
#1 Music ruled my life! Whether you were a child of the eighties like me, or a child of the sixties, seventies, or late nineties, do you remember how important music was to your teenage life?! My entire life was defined by music and a better a soundtrack you could not find. I grew up on the carefree dance beats of seventies Disco while sharing a bedroom with my older brother. Later I danced through my pre-teen years listening to Madonna tunes. Eventually I began to broaden my horizons to include the rap music of the early nineties. To this day, I still love music and listen to everything from Country to Jazz to Hip-hop. I do miss the central role music played in my everyday life. Every feeling I had, every breakup I went through, and every aspiration I dreamed was set to a song. Bottom line, it lifted my spirits and got me through whatever drama I was experiencing at the time. I think it's time to turn up the music in my life again! Stress will prematurely age you, and I forgot how quickly music can set you free!
#2 Movies told my story! If music was the soundtrack to my life than movies were definitely the visual. Do you remember how important certain films were to your experience?? No one could articulate the feelings and emotions of youth the way that John Hughes did. He defined an entire generation with his movies because in the immortal words of DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, "Parents Just Don't Understand!" I can recall seeing a Christina Slater movie called Pump Up the Volume that had me so worked up I was ready to lead my own youth revolt! Movies have the power to inspire passion and make you think, but I'm not sure the movies of this generation are quite as controversial or thought provoking. When I get the blues, I still love to pop in a favorite 80's movie like Sixteen Candles or St. Elmo's Fire. It instantly lifts my mood and brings a smile to my face.
#3 Friends were everything! Holy crow, do you remember how much of your time was spent socializing?! I used to talk to my best friend fifty times a day! We'd go to school together, hang out together, and talk on the phone every night. Every family crisis, social crisis, and beauty crisis could be solved by a good friend. I still think that is true! Sadly, you are in a very lucky minority if you still spend that much time with friends. Most of my social time revolves around my husband and family. I think we all need to find a way to grow our social circles to include more time with close friends.
#4 Boys were all that mattered! Hours upon hours spent kissing. When is the last time you made out!? Not had sex, but made out?! Nuff said. I think I need to revamp a few things in my love life ;-)
#5 Personal time was abundant! OMG do I long for the days where I would lay in the sun with freshly painted toenails flipping through the pages of fashion magazines! Getting that kind of personal time now is a near impossibility, but I do think being neglectful of one's self is something that we can no more afford in adult life than we could in our youth. Do you remember how much time you would spend getting ready for a date?!? Sometimes outfits and makeup were being planned days in advance! Now even on special occasions I'm likely to head to my closet less than an hour before departure hoping something suitable to wear can be found. When's the last time you truly put that much effort into yourself or your appearance? Wow, I really need to work some pockets of time back into my week so that I may pamper myself.
#6 Spontaneity was not a foreign word! Truth be told, I was never a fan of spontaneous decisions. I was a planner even in my younger days. But I was sure willing to put down homework or skip a day of work to go out and have some fun. If the call rang through, I was changing outfits and quickly pulling myself together for an unexpected evening of fun. I was fearless in my youth. Riding roller coasters, driving to unknown destinations, meeting up with groups of people I barely knew, standing in a crowd of thousands during a rain storm at a rock concert, jumping off bridges into the water below; I would do anything once! What the heck happened?! LOL. Maybe the reason we have trouble making friends as adults is because we are less willing to give complete strangers a try! So maybe we can't be that irresponsible today, but we can certainly learn to embrace the feelings that come with dropping everything to go outside and play. More time outdoors, more time in the sun, doing more athletic and less sedentary activities, including friends, and remembering to challenge yourself every once in awhile is a compromise we should all being willing to make.
So what don't I miss about my youth...?? I don't miss being absolutely wrecked by love. I don't miss the social prison- the turmoil that accommodated being locked in a classroom for twelve years with a group of my peers. I am so glad that I have matured and developed into a person that can better manage my feelings when people disappoint me. I don't miss feeling powerless when I was forced to answer to parents and teachers and clergy about my every move. And I don't miss the inability to be able to see past the moment. Everything is so catastrophic when you are young! I miss the drinking but NOT the hangovers! I miss the worship that comes with owning your own car, but NOT begging for rides. I miss having a teen idol, but life is better with a real-life husband. I miss being able to look flawless with little to no effort, but I wouldn't exchange the wisdom of my old age for the beauty of that time. I think happiness and feeling young is about embracing the good things of your youth while leaving behind some of the harder lessons. Reflecting in this, I hope to make each future birthday a blessing rather than a curse. Tune in tomorrow for the results of my Real Age quiz.
"There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age." -Sophia Loren
What do I remember about my younger days?
#1 Music ruled my life! Whether you were a child of the eighties like me, or a child of the sixties, seventies, or late nineties, do you remember how important music was to your teenage life?! My entire life was defined by music and a better a soundtrack you could not find. I grew up on the carefree dance beats of seventies Disco while sharing a bedroom with my older brother. Later I danced through my pre-teen years listening to Madonna tunes. Eventually I began to broaden my horizons to include the rap music of the early nineties. To this day, I still love music and listen to everything from Country to Jazz to Hip-hop. I do miss the central role music played in my everyday life. Every feeling I had, every breakup I went through, and every aspiration I dreamed was set to a song. Bottom line, it lifted my spirits and got me through whatever drama I was experiencing at the time. I think it's time to turn up the music in my life again! Stress will prematurely age you, and I forgot how quickly music can set you free!
#2 Movies told my story! If music was the soundtrack to my life than movies were definitely the visual. Do you remember how important certain films were to your experience?? No one could articulate the feelings and emotions of youth the way that John Hughes did. He defined an entire generation with his movies because in the immortal words of DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, "Parents Just Don't Understand!" I can recall seeing a Christina Slater movie called Pump Up the Volume that had me so worked up I was ready to lead my own youth revolt! Movies have the power to inspire passion and make you think, but I'm not sure the movies of this generation are quite as controversial or thought provoking. When I get the blues, I still love to pop in a favorite 80's movie like Sixteen Candles or St. Elmo's Fire. It instantly lifts my mood and brings a smile to my face.
#3 Friends were everything! Holy crow, do you remember how much of your time was spent socializing?! I used to talk to my best friend fifty times a day! We'd go to school together, hang out together, and talk on the phone every night. Every family crisis, social crisis, and beauty crisis could be solved by a good friend. I still think that is true! Sadly, you are in a very lucky minority if you still spend that much time with friends. Most of my social time revolves around my husband and family. I think we all need to find a way to grow our social circles to include more time with close friends.
#4 Boys were all that mattered! Hours upon hours spent kissing. When is the last time you made out!? Not had sex, but made out?! Nuff said. I think I need to revamp a few things in my love life ;-)
#5 Personal time was abundant! OMG do I long for the days where I would lay in the sun with freshly painted toenails flipping through the pages of fashion magazines! Getting that kind of personal time now is a near impossibility, but I do think being neglectful of one's self is something that we can no more afford in adult life than we could in our youth. Do you remember how much time you would spend getting ready for a date?!? Sometimes outfits and makeup were being planned days in advance! Now even on special occasions I'm likely to head to my closet less than an hour before departure hoping something suitable to wear can be found. When's the last time you truly put that much effort into yourself or your appearance? Wow, I really need to work some pockets of time back into my week so that I may pamper myself.
#6 Spontaneity was not a foreign word! Truth be told, I was never a fan of spontaneous decisions. I was a planner even in my younger days. But I was sure willing to put down homework or skip a day of work to go out and have some fun. If the call rang through, I was changing outfits and quickly pulling myself together for an unexpected evening of fun. I was fearless in my youth. Riding roller coasters, driving to unknown destinations, meeting up with groups of people I barely knew, standing in a crowd of thousands during a rain storm at a rock concert, jumping off bridges into the water below; I would do anything once! What the heck happened?! LOL. Maybe the reason we have trouble making friends as adults is because we are less willing to give complete strangers a try! So maybe we can't be that irresponsible today, but we can certainly learn to embrace the feelings that come with dropping everything to go outside and play. More time outdoors, more time in the sun, doing more athletic and less sedentary activities, including friends, and remembering to challenge yourself every once in awhile is a compromise we should all being willing to make.
So what don't I miss about my youth...?? I don't miss being absolutely wrecked by love. I don't miss the social prison- the turmoil that accommodated being locked in a classroom for twelve years with a group of my peers. I am so glad that I have matured and developed into a person that can better manage my feelings when people disappoint me. I don't miss feeling powerless when I was forced to answer to parents and teachers and clergy about my every move. And I don't miss the inability to be able to see past the moment. Everything is so catastrophic when you are young! I miss the drinking but NOT the hangovers! I miss the worship that comes with owning your own car, but NOT begging for rides. I miss having a teen idol, but life is better with a real-life husband. I miss being able to look flawless with little to no effort, but I wouldn't exchange the wisdom of my old age for the beauty of that time. I think happiness and feeling young is about embracing the good things of your youth while leaving behind some of the harder lessons. Reflecting in this, I hope to make each future birthday a blessing rather than a curse. Tune in tomorrow for the results of my Real Age quiz.
"There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age." -Sophia Loren
Awesome post! I enjoyed it...and agree! I can totally relate to the painted toes, sitting in the sun (maybe why I have mole issues now) and flipping through a magazine like Cosmo or Glamour! I still get Glamour by the way...so I can "pretend" I'm still that young...it's my little escape...difference is that now I read it while on the elliptical!
ReplyDeleteNothing wrong with that! I think it is important to stay young minded- that was the whole point of my post! I get In-style magazine and hope we get some sunshine soon so I may relive that youthful moment. I may need a hat now and more sunscreen as compared to my younger days but I'm all for it!
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