Aging

I'm getting older. I really am. I know that everyone is getting older, but I really feel it now after a second kid. And if I didn't fully understand it before, my attempt to get back on the basketball court Wednesday night really drove the point home. Hard.

Not having played basketball in over a year made me 7 years older when I stepped back on the court. Something akin to dog years. My feet didn't know how to NOT bump into one another. My legs didn't get on the same page with my brain, which wanted me to get back on defense and stop their fastbreak. Instead, they kept me lunging in slow motion somewhere near halfcourt for most of the game. I just sort of "ran" back and forth a few steps and then called for a sub.

My brain also aged considerably over the last 3 months. This was also called out at the basketball game, where I attempted to pay my league fee with a voided check. (My friend walked around the gym in socks after the game because she couldn't find her shoes, so that made me feel better.) Coworkers have been asking me to use verbs more. I bit into a dessert and said "it good" awhile back. I tried to write the word "from" and began with the "o."

Also, I'm losing my hair. I didn't have much to begin with, but what I do have is falling out. This might be my body trying to sympathize with Ryker, who is also losing his hair.

I listen to (and enjoy) a Prairie Home Companion. I watch Bob Schieffer and knew how to spell his name without looking it up. I regularly mix up the names of my husband, children and pets. I seriously contemplated buying a pill case to keep my meds straight.

I think this is the real reason why parents live vicariously through their children. It's not because they regret anything that they didn't do or weren't good at - it's because they just want to reverse the pre-mature aging process.