Getting Better not Older

While walking around campus during a freshman orientation day, people kept asking me if I had been separated from my orientation group. In that this was a good natured question, I would politely say no and move on. Admittedly, I have a young looking face which gets me carded at bars, casinos, movie theaters, and once, even at a bank. This has lead to certain amusing incidents including having to convince a fey fellow trying to bed me, a presumed underage "club kid," with his vast worldly experience of the fact that I had him by a good five years. The wisdom of your average 21 year-old appears quite dim from the view-point of your average 26 year-old. This point became more pointed this weekend as a friend found old photographs of five years ago when we had just met. I actually looked demonstrably younger, which was a point of amazement to many others. I'm surprised anyone let me buy the massive quantities of alcohol I consumed in my early twenties. In relating the stories behind the pictures, I proudly realized how naive I was. I make it a point each year to recall the person I was 5 years previously. If I can honestly be amazed at my own ignorance at the time, then I know I am continuing to grow and not atrophy. Which is thankfully still and hopeful will continue to be the case.