Have you ever sat down at your desk, started working on a new project and suddenly thought, "If I was in college right now, I'd still be in bed asleep?"  Every once in a while it hits me... usually after a conversation with a childhood friend or college classmate.  I'm getting OLD.

It really doesn't seem like that long ago I watched my Dad graduate from business school -- I remember it was after Independence Day because I fell out of a lawn chair in our driveway and scraped my head on the concrete when a firecracker went off nearby.  My lovely scab throbbed the day I watched my Dad receive his MBA.  That was 22 years ago this summer.

I remember learning how to drive a manual transmission in my Dad's convertible.  We spent hours making figure eights in a huge parking lot -- practicing shifting gears, looking out my side mirrors and his foot hitting the "brake" on the passenger side.  That was 10 years ago this summer.

Just yesterday I was in college, going to class, living in my sorority house, going to fraternity parties and playing field hockey every fall.  Seriously, my biggest concern then was an upcoming paper or who my formal date would be.  Wake up call... that was 4 years ago this summer.

Now most of my friends are married or engaged -- some are even starting families, buying houses and looking at minivans.  We've all chosen careers... some of us are doing what we always thought we'd do, others ended up in a completely different arena.  My parents talk about retirement and tell me constantly how important my 401K is instead of telling me to eat my vegetables or clean my room.  Life now is a far cry from what it used to be. 

Looking back, I wouldn't change a thing.  Everything I've experienced, good and bad, has brought me to this point.  I'm the happiest I've ever been in my adult life... it's not fair to compare my life now to kindergarten with Mrs. Frank or my roller rink birthday party.  I'm excited to think about where I'll go next and what will happen.  No doubt, Dittoe will play a big roll in this chapter of my life.

I'm sure years from now I'll think about how easy I had it "back then," when I was in my twenties, married with no children and working at the best Indianapolis PR firm.  No doubt the stress and struggles I am currently enduring are not easy, but years down the road they will seem just as petty as some of my college and high school concerns do to me now.

As nice as it is to reminisce about the good ole days, it's exciting to imagine what life with be like 5 or 10 years from now.  I'll have to try not to blink -- I don't want to miss it.