Young at Heart

The other day a friend of mine and I were talking about how no matter what age we are or how old we get, we have the same feelings that we had when we were in our 20s, 30s, or sometimes even our teens.

And this is either with friendships or romantic relationships, or our attachment to things (work issue, pets, etc).  Any type of emotional connection that touches our heart.

I was sharing with her how it was surprising that no matter how many years go by, even decades even, that I still have the same thoughts and emotions that I did when I was in my 20s, especially when it comes to relationships. You would think that as we mature and age that we wouldn't have these crazy insecure female-type thoughts anymore, but in reality we still do.  I'm kind of like a twenty-year-old in a 40 year old body, lol.  My body has aged, but my feelings and emotions remain the same.

The same thing can be said for when we start a new relationship or when one ends.  No matter what age we are at the beginning of a relationship, it's always wonderful and amazing, and the end of it always hurts and is painful.  It doesn't matter how old you are or how young you are - your emotions and connections remains just as intense.

A friend of mine in his mid 60s recently met a new girl and he said he felt like they were teenagers starting out on this new venture in their lives together!  He was so giddy and happy.  After only a few weeks, it had dissolved, though.  He was so heartbroken, he could barely function after the heartache of them breaking up. 

Another of my friends in her mid 50s recently went through a break up and she was very hurt as well after she got rejected.

The good thing though, is how we react to situations gets better as we age and mature.  THAT is cool, for sure.  It's nice to be able to react so much more adult-like to situations, than like a spoiled, 25-year old nagging, hurt, insecure girlfriend (or boyfriend).

My friend in her 50s handle the rejection with poise and I dare say, "honor."  While she was hurting on the inside, she handled it much better than her 25-year-old self would have 30 years ago she confided.

So while in my 20s and 30s I might have reacted like a crappy girlfriend to guys back then because I let my emotions take over, I recognize now and enjoy that I'm more patient and so much more understanding.  Sure, I still have crazy, stupid thoughts, but I just try not to expose them now and instead keep them internal, where when I was younger I would spew them outward. I see things and consciously handle things outward in a much better way than when I was immature and naive.  Thank goodness, too!  Not just for my friends and my boyfriends, but also for MYSELF.