5 Signs You Know Time Is Flying & You’re Out of Your Early 20’s

As I dip into the latter half of my mid-twenties (okay okay, so I’m only 25), I’ve come to notice quite a few things that make me instantly realize I’m getting older. Well not exactly that I’m “getting old” per se, but that time has certainly flown by and I wish I could slow it down for j u s t  a  s e c o n d…Here a few things that I’ve been jotting down in my notebook recently – 5 signs I’m definitely not in my early 20’s anymore/that time is just zooming by me:

1. My parents can officially order from the “Seniors” menu at IHOP. Okay, so apparently I was about 5 years too late witnessing this one happen in person (their seniors menu starts at age 55), but with so many kiddos in the fam, we all recently met at IHOP for dinner and when my dad ordered proudly from the seniors menu I about had a heart attack! My dad is 60-years-old, but as a kid you see all of these people come in and out of IHOP ordering from the seniors menu and you think, “man, that’ll be 100 years until my parents are able to do that!” …Okay so maybe not 100 years in actuality, but in kid-land, that just seemed appropriate. Either way, when you finally realize your parents are old enough to order from a certain menu page at restaurants, it certainly hits hard that time has flown by and that my parents are getting older. Who would have thought that my dad ordering the 55+ Build-Your-Own-Omelette at IHOP would have brought up so many emotions? Trust me, I didn’t see that one coming! 😉

2. I now experience what I like to call the “hangover of death” after a night of light drinking. I say the word “light” because at age 22, I was a heavy college drinker (hey, much like the rest of them!) and could handle 10+ crappy well-vodka drinks in a night, then get up and go for a run and have breakfast with my friends, etc., and my body didn’t seem to hate me for treating it like poop.  However, now when I have so much as two to three drinks (I’ve since said goodbye to vodka and hello to craft beer in recent years…so it’s not even like I’m still consuming low grade liquor drinks) I will endure a hangover so unfortunate and painful that it will make me wonder how I ever survived college in the first place. What does it all come down to? I’m getting older…my body does not bounce back like it used to just a few years ago…and that eating Taco Cabana at 2am is still not a good life decision after a night of drinking… (but seriously, tortillas for 10 cents? Can you even feel guilty about that? 😉 )

3. If I don’t have my coffee, I am officially a crazy person. Blake can probably share more on this one (poor thing, ha!)…but let’s just say “hangry Olivia” (which is a thing in our abode) also comes out in full force when I don’t have my coffee in the morning. They say you eventually become like your parents….well…this one is absolutely accurate and at age 25, I officially run on coffee just like my mom and dad always did/still do. I remember when they’d take us to school in the morning and my mom literally wouldn’t speak until she had her first sip of coffee. I now understand her so much more…

4. I now look forward to “sitting” concerts. Last week I went to see Sam Smith and while I was excited by the idea of hearing an incredible singer belt his emotions (duh)…mostly I was excited that I could enjoy the voice of an angel and also sit down with a glass of wine in hand. Gone are the days where I will buy a concert ticket knowing I will be standing and moving the entire three hour set. At age 25, I’ve officially reached the point where a sitting concert is more desirable than dancing to any rockstar for hours on end.

5. What we used to call “boredom” as a kid, we now call “relaxation” as an adult. Remember when you were a kiddo and you used to be “sooo bored” and desperately wished your mom would take you to play lazertag, or that your friends would answer their doorbell, etc.? (The pre-phone era). Well in adulthood, boredom doesn’t exist and those moments of peace and quiet and “holy shit, I actually have NOTHING to do?!” are precious miracles, that at age 25, I have come to cherish deeply. Between working, cleaning, maintaining a social life and keeping up with my family, let’s just say when I do have a minute to myself I am soaking in every second.

This list could really go on and on and if I missed something you’ve realized as you’ve gotten a little older, please share in the comments below! Ps. Happy weekend, friends!