Growing Up... or Growing Old?

I heard about a study the other day which claims to have pinpointed the age at which individuals finally feel like they have reached adulthood. The judicial branch considers adulthood to be 18. Bars and liquor stores insist upon 21 as the legal age. According to the authors of the study, most people finally feel grown up when they are 28.

I am married with a child. I own a house and I work to pay bills and to help support the family. It's strange that despite these adult responsibilities, I can't fully grasp the concept that I am grown up.  In my mind, I am still a youngster finding her way. I have moments where I catch myself in the mirror and see my mother's reflection. It is hard for me to wrap my head around the concept that I'm an adult. I'm not a young adult. I'm not just starting out and learning the ropes. I'm a full-fledged adult. When did that happen?

Of course, every morning my body reminds me that I'm not a spring chicken. Waking up when I was in my 20's, I would be alarmed when something hurt. Now that I'm nearing my 40's, it is no longer a question of whether or not something will be stiff or sore. Inevitably, it has become a game as I try to guess which part of my body is going to angry when I wake up.

In another 40 years I'll probably just be grateful for the pain because its presence will signal that I made it through another night. But for right now, the morning aches and pains are an unwelcome nuisance. I've realized that my morning internal dialog has switched from "zippidy doo da" to "crap this hurts."

Last week my knee was so stiff it took me awhile to ease into my prosthetic. Then I woke up with a sore neck. Yesterday I woke up and my right shoulder blade was aching. All of these maladies developed while I was sleeping. Apparently one of the skills I am acquiring as I age is the ability to injure myself while unconscious.

The disconnect between my mind and my body seems to be growing. While I don't feel like I'm middle aged, my body certainly disagrees. I must file a formal protest against this whole "growing up" process. After all, these growing old pains are becoming bothersome!