I'm going to age myself here...

I just went to dinner/grab a beer with some old friends from my camp counseling days. Which was fabulous! But that is not the aging part. Sitting at the table (yet not old enough to drink, I haven't decided if that was a good or bad thing yet) was one of my old campers. Yep, I'm old enough now where the campers I used to counsel are now going out for food, and at this time, non-alcoholic drinks with people I guess, whom we are both friends with.

This was a wonderful evening, don't get me wrong. It was great to see my friends who I haven't seen in several years, at least 5, if not more. But it was a very surreal moment for me when one of the young ones at the end of the table says, "Yeah, I remember you. You were my counselor, when I was like 10 or 11." And here she is at a bar with me. WEIRD. Just plain weird. And I'm almost positive that I was the only one who felt that way.

Keep in mind I was the oldest one at the table by at least 4 years. When I first met my two friends that were there tonight one of them was 16, and I was a month shy of 21. And when I first went to camp it was in the late 80's, the others at the table tonight (besides my 2 friends) were just being born.

I realize to those older than me, this may seem a bit silly. But you've been there, you've done that, and I guess now so have I. The talk was good and light hearted for a while. But later it just turned to talk of hooking up with people I had never met, parties with people I had never partied with, and I quickly lost interest. I bowed out not long after, saying I had to work in the morning (which I do) and was reading a really good book (which I am). But it wasn't until after I walked out the door that I realized that last statement may have been the one that aged me the most in their eyes.

Oh well. Laughter was had, memories were relived, old contacts were connected again, beer was drank. And now I'm going to go read my really good book.