What’s a song lyric that has stuck with you forever?
Since the question is, “stuck with you forever”, I can’t respond with a Taylor Swift line, too recent. By the way, that line would be “So casually cruel in the name of being honest”. And it can’t be a Katy Perry line, that was only two years ago that the line “I went from zero to my own hero” captivated my soul. Instead, the line I’ve got to go with is from the Aerosmith song, “Amazing”. I can hear Steven Tyler singing it now… “life’s a journey, not a destination”. That’s such a poignant line. Life is meant to be lived now, not when you get to a certain point.
And speaking of life, I have been waxing philosophical lately about my life and how people view me. There is a group of people that I hang out with the most at work. Outside of my co-worker and my supervisor, there are three other ladies that tend to congregate together and chat (read that as…gossip). The thing is, I’m the 2nd oldest in that group. My co-worker, in the same position as me, is only one year older than me. That came up in conversation the other day. Two of the ladies are 25, one is 34 (I think), and the other is 40(ish).
In that conversation, one of them said to me, “you’re what, 36?” I said no, I’m 44. They didn’t believe me. They asked to see my i.d. They said I looked good for my age. I was flattered by their compliments, but at the same time, it makes me wonder how they see me. Particularly my supervisor and the other lady who is 25.
I don’t think about their age much, except when a reference is made and they have no idea what I’m talking about, or they haven’t seen the movie I’m referencing because it came out before they were born (ask me about the “American Beauty” vs. Katy Perry reference). I see my supervisor as young, yes, but I don’t hold that against her. She supervises the way I think everyone should.
But how do they see me? Do they think of me as old? Do they see me as a cool older lady? I have a very low on the totem pole job where we work. Do they question why someone my age has a job like that? They know about my teaching years and being a principal. They know I left my other jobs because I was tired of putting up with bs from people who irritated me. Does that make them see me as the badass I think I am? Do my tattoos add to the cool factor in their eyes? My supervisor has quite a few tattoos and the lady who is in her mid-30s has some as well.
These are just some thoughts I’ve had lately as those ladies have expressed astonishment at my age. In the end, it doesn’t matter what they think of me. I’m on this journey of life and this job and hanging out and gossiping with them is just a blip on my overall timeline.
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