Act Your Age

I live by the motto, "Just because they make it in your size, doesn't mean you should wear it!" and "Dress your age." The creators of Forever 21 don't really believe that you will be 21 forever, that is just how many days that little shirt will last until it falls apart in the wash. The picture on the left is a fashion crime for lots of reasons...not the tattoos but the bra and zipper front skirt...so 2009. At least this lady is fully committed...looks like she doesn't do anything halfway. She won't have to worry about getting a tan to look great in her new bikini and she'll save tons of money not coloring her gray roots. It kills me cause I keep telling my daughter, Kristin, not to get a tattoo cause when you're old, you'll hate it.  This pic shoots down that argument!


I think I am pondering age stuff tonight because I just spent two days at a conference geared to reach the "emerging generation"...you know the entitled kids we all raised. It was called Catalyst and focused on the up and coming leaders in the church. I went with a team of people from my church and it was eye-opening. It was two days of non stop speakers, music, concert lighting, comedians, modern day poets, magicians, gospel choir and a partridge in a pear tree. It was very fast paced cause the emerging generation has a short attention span from all the X-box that they play. The theme was "Be Present"...cause most of the time, most of us aren't...no matter what your age. We are constantly on our iphones, ipads, facebook, twitter, and are trying to do two things at once (unless you are a mom, do not try this...we have it perfected.) They reminded us to put the electronics away and just listen but most of us kept our phones right on our laps, scared we might miss an important text from groupon or travelocity (I get a weekly update about air travel prices for my summer vacation.)


When I got home after the second day, I was exhausted. My senses were way over stimulated and just the sheer pace of the two days of presentations wore me out. It really made me think how different I am from this up-coming generation. Besides just being way older, I am way more practical, cynical, routine driven, skeptical, and judgmental. I just used six adjectives about myself that I am not proud of, YUCK....yes I am entering the second chapter of life and am hanging on to my ideal self by a thread. I read books from youngish authors that inspire me to address the world as they do but after spending 16 hours with 3500 "Catalyst" I fall way short. I need to be more loving, open, less sarcastic (wait....I take that one back) and depend more on God and less on myself. 


It's okay to act my age. There is a little wisdom I could impart and I learned that my best days may still be ahead of me cause God is not finished working through me until the day I die...so I got to get busy! I think this sums up the two days pretty well...

Live and live well. Breathe.

Breathe in and breathe deeply.

Be present. Do not be past.

Do not be future. 

BE NOW. 

-Kyle Lake-