I'm old

Moderator: Welcome to tonight's meeting of age awareness. We are a group dedicated to helping one another through the difficult time of accepting your age. We would like to take a few minutes and let you introduce yourself and tell us about your realization that you are OLD.

Me: Hello, my name is La Tisha and I am learning to accept that I am old.

Participants: Hi La Tisha.

Me: Somewhere in my mind I knew that this day would have to come, but I was not ready for it to be so soon. On Friday I joined some friends in a volleyball game. I used to love to play and played frequently while in high school. I haven't played in ten years though, but thought nothing of getting out there and trying again. I dived for every ball that came out me, sliding on my knees as needed; I attacked every ball that I had a chance to. By the end of playing my knees were hurting and I felt really tired...who knew that was only the beginning...

Moderator: Is that when you realized that you were old?

Me: It was later that night when I looked down at my knees and saw the huge knots and bruises that had formed, saw the bruises forming on my arms and felt the ache of every muscle that I didn't even know that I had. It hurts to walk, to sit, to do anything...I am old.

Participants: We know your pain, we have been there too.

Moderator: We are glad to have you join this group, maybe next time you will be prepared for the further realizations that you are OLD.

Me: Thank you for the support and the friendship, I am twenty-eight and I am sure that as I reach thirty and beyond I will have many more opportunities to learn of my oldness...

I had a great time playing, but man it is hard to realize that you can't play like you did once upon a time.