Am I Too Grown Up?

Did you ever go to one of those pools where they had adult swim? The lifeguard would blow the whistle and all the kids would groan. It seemed to be the most unjust thing in the world. Jason said at his community pool there would always be one old lady in there floating along doing the backstroke. The kids would lurk around the edges and maybe be bold enough to dip a foot in. I just remember thinking that adults didn’t know how to use a pool. They didn’t look like they were having fun at all.

So now I’m all grown up and adult swim seems like a great idea. I float along and do the backstroke, well not really, but I’ll do swim laps or something equally boring. I had the occasion to swim with some young college age ………I want to call them kids but that’s not fair……young college age people last weekend. They knew how to use a pool. They didn’t just lie on a raft and soak up the son. They jumped in the pool and on the rafts. They turned over anyone that was resting on one. They pushed the rafts up and down to turn the pool into a wave pool. They tackled each other and wrestled each other. They shrieked and laughed and had an absolute blast. I just tried to stay out of their way. It brought back feelings I haven’t felt in a while. I remember playing the same way. Part of me wanted to join in, but the bigger part of me didn’t. It would've definitely been out of character and they would've been pretty shocked.

I do envy my husband who is able to connect with my nieces and nephews in ways that I can’t. He gets down on their level and plays with them. They wrestle and tickle. They use their imaginations and play games. He’s the same way with his youth group. I mean, the man plays in a dodge ball league! But when he needs to, he can transition from play mode to mature, responsible mode in a minute. He knows when to be goofy and wild and play but through his counseling, service and ministry the kids know he is someone who cares and someone they can count on.

I forget how to play. How does that happen? When did it happen? I’m not 100% sure that it's a bad thing. Is it because I’m afraid of looking foolish? I think that's part of it. I still have fun but in different ways. I rarely have the kind of fun that leads to squealing laughter. Am I missing out? I’m happy with my life, so maybe not. Will those college students catch up to me with my boring maturity?