Peter Pan Syndrome

Ask anyone who has known me forever: I stopped growing up when I turned 18. So turning 31 this year was like any other prior year - it was a piece of cake. Since I've reached my 30's, people often ask how I dealt with transitioning into a whole new decade. The truth of the matter is, I never had to "cope" with it in any way. In fact, as cheesy as this is going to sound, getting older always has been and will continue to be an adventure. There are those who are caught up in seeing age as a number that defines who they are, what they can or cannot do, how they should act, and where they should be in their lives. The truth of the matter is, when you start to identify your whole self with your age, you end up cutting out a huge chunk of possibilities from your life. There is no sense in limiting how you live your life. How can anyone live a fruitful life if they shut out the things they love to do or new experiences simply because they feel their age dictates whether or not they can? That's not a life lived to the fullest.

I have witnessed people hold back on doing certain things simply because they felt that they don't belong somewhere or should be "acting their age." I could not disagree with them more. You can be as young as you feel and radiate youth through your spirit and your actions. The getting old part is purely a state of mind. Come to think of it, so is the idea of staying young.

Author Douglas Coupland once wrote about aging, "We have two ages: the age we really are, and the age we are in our heads." This is a magnificent theory, and I'll be glad to cling to it as the decades pass. When I'm 100, I'm sure gonna get a kick out of telling people I'm 18.