Like We Were Still Teenagers

So many of us (me) lose that flair we once had for life. We get older. And smarter (or so we tell ourselves), and in doing so become more reserved. We hold back because our incredible amount of life experience compels us to be more reserved than we used to be. It is only becoming of us to act our age, and so we tone it all down a few notches every decade until we die.

Every once and awhile someone breaks this paradigm. We like to refer to these people as they who "never grew up."

But guess what? We're wrong. They DID grow up. They just managed to do so and hang onto some of the good things (perhaps the ONLY good thing) about teenagers.

Thomas and Char-lane Gunderson never grew up. Or are immature. Or don't act their age. Or whatever else you have to tell yourself to justify the fact that they have more fun than the rest of us. Most of us anyways.

We played some games. Well, me and Trish participated at the games, and Tom and Char-lane actually played them. Voices were raised, hands were smacked onto tables, feelings were teased. Tom and Char actually appeared more as a couple who were still dating, rather than married. I mean this in the best possible way. We were privy to constant flirting on the other side of the table (usually in the form of teasing, but that's how Tom operates). I'll add that Trish was on my side of the table. The flirting involved our guests.

Why don't we let ourselves go more? Why do we yell less than we used to?

I tell myself it's because I don't want to wake Grayson. Well, there were several instances of decibel climax last night, and yet the boy didn't stir. By the end of the night, we were just starting to join in. And I was just starting to remember what it was like to just not worry about what I look like and goof off.

 The anticipation is truly worse than the shock...

It's really more of a finger buzz, Grayson actually enjoys it. Char-Lane, not so much.

It's funny, because right after they were gone I was thinking about why I've lost my ability to let go like that. I actually told Trish that I thought it was because I've gained 10 pounds since high school, and so I felt uneasy in my own skin.

Lame, Tolman. Really lame.

It's because I've fallen into the trap of being an old fart in my mid 20's. I've let the expectations of how I should act turn me into something that I don't approve of. I mean to take inspiration from these Gunderson folks and let loose a little more often. If they can do it with a newborn baby in the house, I should be able to do it just fine.