I want to be 18 again.  When you are 18 the world seems so clear to you.  You have definite opinions and there are no gray areas.  Everything is black and white and you think you are always right.

I remember those days when I thought “I would never tolerate that from my husband” but I did.  I was so sure my children would never watch Barney but after a couple of years of not even being able to go to the bathroom alone Barney became both our best friends. I wasn’t going to compromise myself for a job or do anything that was against my beliefs.  I was going to be a leader and take control and single handedly change the world. The only thing stronger than my convictions was the certainty that I would be the first one to have it all.

We all think we know how our lives will turn out and how we will “take care of business” when we are young. It all looks so simple and we can’t understand why the adults around us are so darn stubborn.

News flash, we aren’t stubborn we are seasoned.  Over time we have lived and learned and been faced with our own situations where suddenly that black and white blurred into gray.  We have had our hearts broken not just by our lovers but by so many other things in life.

We are the living , breathing equivalent of Google.  If you ask us and really listen we can teach you what we know based on what we have learned, most likely the hard way.

There is a part of me that misses the old black and white me.  I wish life was that simple and that everything had a definite answer.  Truth is, it isn’t.  It is hard and messy and by the time you turn 30 you will have reevaluated everything you believed when you graduated high school.

So my advice is to seek advice, listen, learn, be informed and follow your heart.  Enjoy your black and white because much like your hair the gray will come soon enough.