Maturity and Age

Initially, when he called me Seven I was flattered (I blame the Closet Trekkie in me who peeked out from behind the closet door and determined he was comparing me to the character Seven of Nine from Star Trek Voyager – HA, IF ONLY); then, realizing he wasn't a Trekkie (Closeted or otherwise) I thought it best to clarify what he meant. To which he responded that I was acting like I was seven years old - by which I was, still, in an odd way, flattered.

It wasn’t said in a negative manner, he wasn’t chiding me for acting juvenile, I think, in some way, he was amused by my blatant lack of maturity. I don't recall being accused of acting like I was seven when I was truly seven, so being accused of acting like I am seven when I'm soooooo (how many o's do I need!?) far removed from seven IS rather flattering.

I remember when I was a child I wished I was older, more mature and I would get frustrated or annoyed when I was treated like a child. I know as a teenager I was very serious and completely lacked the ability to laugh at myself. Anytime I accidently did something silly or stupid that generated a laugh from others I was upset. Don’t even get me started on how bad a “poor looser” I was – I am reminded of a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon in which Calvin pitches a very large fit when he looses at a game of checkers – that was me.

But in the last few years something has changed – somehow, for some reason, I have become less serious and, for the most part, I can even laugh at myself. I have a couple of really good friends that help me with that – C & D who both poke fun at me from time to time and allow me to behave in a juvenile manner, heck, they even join in!

I still get annoyed when my toast burns and grouch about it for a minute or two, but it is no longer an “end of the world” event; and I am getting much better at taking that sort of thing in stride. (Actually, I have used my powers of commerce to procure a new toaster who is much more reliable and has yet to burn my toast – I even named him “Ted” – Ted the toaster – and I’m even willing to admit to it in print!) I have welcomed whimsy into my life; and try to add fun to every day. I often joke with my co-workers and when anyone asks what something should be called I always respond “Fred” – regardless of how useless the suggestion is.

On recent trips to Peru and New Zealand I took along my stuffed Tigger (just a little one, about the size of my fist) and had him posed in different places and took pictures of him. He wore a harness and I had him clipped to my bag and he bounced along wherever I went. I didn’t feel silly having a stuffed animal with me and I think, to some extent, my sister envied my ability to wander about with Tigger in tow not caring what others thought of it.

I am coming to the realization that for me Maturity is not the absence of juvenile behaviour but the wisdom of knowing my audience and acting accordingly.

So I will continue to act like I’m seven with my closest friends and continue to want to name everything at work, “Fred” and yes, I will continue to have a toaster with a nametag (did I not mention I gave him a nametag?) and I will continue to travel about with Tigger in tow. Silly, possibly, but silly in not necessarily a bad thing, as long as you know where and when it is safe to be silly.