Old Soul Young Soul

The photo above I took of a kid at the Watts after school program in LA. I love this picture because she just looks so high on life.

You know, some people have old souls and some people have young souls. This concept comes up sometimes on the radio when some jazz musician is being interviewed. Inevitably somewhere in the interview the interviewer says "So, you're quite young to have chosen this genre of music. What was it that attracted you to Jazz?" Then the Musician will say, "Well, I guess I've just always been on of those people who has an old soul, I always just seemed older than I am."

As I listen to the interview and drive along to Walmart or some other such blase' place to do some mundane chore, I can't help but romantasize this whole "old soul" concept.

After I had been in China for about two years I started realizing that I liked getting my sleep and that helping out at a Youth Camp was fun, but it was work and I no longer felt like one of the teenagers. So I concluded that therefore I was an old soul.

Well, good night, if it takes until 23 years old of age to realize you like to sleep and you're not a teenager, that definately does not make you an old soul.

I've also decided that dating or marrying an old soul would be like setting a 3 year old with ADD in a lecture about nuclear physics. Don't get me wrong, I love old souls. I need them in my life for great conversation. Let's face it, old souls as a generalization have a much better grasp on intellectual conversation and anything cultural. Old souls, at the core, are actually cooler and more romantic than young souls, and I fantasize about being one, but I'm not.

However, I am definately a young soul. I need to marry someone with an 18 year old soul with the maturity and intellect of a 27 year old.

Last summer in Quebec - case in point. A whole summer playing with a bunch of highschoolers - An Absolute Blast. My job right now - case in point!! I love it.

Does being 27 make me a dork to these kids - suprisingly not. I just have that many more years of knowledge of stupid things you can do with your bodily functions and how you can take pictures with a digital camera of your arm crease to make it look like butt cheeks. Plus I'm mature enough to actually stop them from killing themselves or getting arrested or stuff like that.

Last night - went to a comedy show with a car full of 18 year old guys. Listened to Ramstein all the way there and back. - there's something ridiculously funny about a bunch of germans singing as low as they possibly can to the tune of thrasher music- so I giggled all the way there. You know - I couldn't have predicted that this was the way life would go - you know, that at 27 I'd still be single and large groups of 18 year old boys would think nothing of asking me out for the evening. (oh - and by the way - there is no Mrs. Robinson Theme happening here - I am very cautious in that area and am very well behaved)

But the whole point is that I love my life, it cracks me up, and one day I will marry a young soul and we'll do things well below our age all the time and have an absolute great time doing it. (But he will be near my age - I am not Mrs. Robinson or Demi Moore just to clarify)