AARP

I was only 16 when I started getting junk mail from AARP. I'm not sure if it's because "they" somehow knew that I had an old soul or if that junk mail somehow aged my soul. 

Either way I'm an old lady inside and now "they" know it. In the last few months I've heard a few commercial and caught myself wishing myself into retirement. 

Enjoy the common areas and open floor plans of our unique condos. I do like open floor plans and common areas....
You'll love 2 beautifully prepared meals by our health conscious and professionally trained chefs every day. A chef?!?! That's the dream!

You'll easily connect to all the things that make you're life go. They have internet, I need internet, it's a match made in heaven!

Daily activities include hiking, biking, trips downtown with your friends and gaming! I like all those things, and so do my boys, we'd have a fabulous time.

Of course housekeeping and all medical staff are available to help you at any time. I'm sold. Where do I sign? 

Then all my dreams were shattered with their stupid tag line about not letting your advanced age slow you down and how Treeo is the coolest place for old people to live in all of Utah County. 

But don't worry, the next commercial really WAS for me. 

You can finally have a walk in jetted bath designed to let you feel secure and safe while you relax your muscles and joints. 

Joints? Dang. Only old people have joints. Foiled again.

Young Women

When I was in Young Women I am quite confident I was a giant pain in the butt. There were a lot of girls my age, and we were significantly less than gracious when presented with ideas, activities, and advice offered by our leader. They should have hated us, but all signed said they didn't. We were given far more love than we deserved.

I've wondered how that could possibly be so. I thought they must be faking. Or putting on a happy face.

A few weeks ago I was called to be the laurel advisor in our new ward. And now I suddenly my leaders in a new light. I suspect they weren't faking. Perhaps they really loved us. And maybe they saw that we were just kids doing what we could.

The girls in my ward happen to be far more incredible than I ever was. There are only 3 laurels in the ward right now, but they are extraordinary human beings. I mean really extraordinary. They have already gone through challenges that I still don't know how I would handle, and they are dealing with it beautifully. Plus they are beautiful. I look these girls in the eyes and I see the incredibleness beaming out of them. Because there's so much awesome in them that it can't be contained.

I suppose that's one thing I love about growing up. Seeing things from grown up perspective and learning that it was all much more loving and accepting than I had ever imagined.