Youth is Wasted on the Young

Coat: Marshalls, Shirt: Ann Taylor LOFT, Skirt: Target, Watch: Michael Kors, Necklace: Aldo Accessories

I wore this yesterday. It is a pretty standard work outfit for me. Blouse... pencil skirt... black tights... and heels. Check.

However, sooooomething about the lace on the shirt, and the pearls (in the ears and around the neck) made it feel especially feminine. A bit too girly, if you will. Even for my taste. So... I layered this Army green jacket over it to give it some "balls". It's not the most practical choice. It's pretty clear from the second to last photo that I am freezing my fool ass off, but it is cute and sometimes, cute beats practical. Okay... 95% of the time... cute wins.

Whatever, life is short and soon enough we will all be in orthopedic shoes, and pants with elastic waistbands (but we will be old, so we will refer to them as "slacks"). Oh, and accessorizing? Earrings will be swapped out for hearing aids and statement necklaces will be ditched in favor of Life Alert lanyards. You may laugh, but it's true. Life goes A LOT faster the older you get.

My Grandpa (Papa) Maglier always used to say... "Youth is wasted on the young!".

I never understood that when I was a kid, but now that I am a grown ass woman I completely get it. When you are young you are vibrant... full of energy. Maybe you're beautiful with flawless skin? Many don't have to worry about their weight/blood pressure/cholesterol/etc. There are no bills... no debt... no 401K or benefits enrollment deadlines to worry about. There is very little drama. You play, laugh, and live out loud. But... you're dumb. You make stupid decisions. You don't pay attention in school, maybe you pick on other people (kids are mean, Man). You date the wrong guy/girl.. you don't listen to your parents, in fact... you rebel. You don't pay attention in college, you don't "apply yourself" hell... maybe you didn't go to college. You didn't think you needed to. Maybe you regret that now? You drink/ do drugs/ get pregnant too young... the list goes on. THEN... you get older... you learn... you make smarter decisions... you grow, change, mature. You are a better person than you were. You give a shit about stuff that matters and you find yourself not only realizing that your parents aren't idiots... that they knew EXACTLY what they were talking about. But, by then maybe you're tired? You have to commute, and work 10 hour days. You have to go on "diets" and "work out" to lose weight. Pay bills. Loans. Mortgages. You're pre-diabetic because you ate like shit for 20 (or 30... or 40) years. You have a budget and a savings account (that is empty). There is a kid screaming on a monitor that stares at you and no matter how much you want to run outside and play, you can't leave that child alone in it's room crying with a wet diaper. Plus... now your knees are bad so you can't run even if you wanted to. Oh, and then, when you are old enough to be truly "wise"... no one will listen to you because you are old. You complain. About everything... the weather, and your aches and pains, "kids these days", and you say things like, "back in my day". You send food back at restaurants and embarrass everyone. Maybe you are a burden. Now YOU have to be taken care of.

What the F@#K kind of cruel joke is this?????

Youth IS wasted on the young. 

THIS... is my Papa and Grandma Maglier (my Mom's parents) "back in the day". 

My Papa has been gone for almost 15 years. He passed the summer after my freshman year at college. The summer of 1999. THAT was the single worst summer of my life. I was 19. Ironically... I was about the same age that he is in this photograph. My Grandma Maglier (who was a STRAIGHT UP FOX, right?!?!?! ) was about 17 and Papa was about 19.

You were right, Papa. About that, and A LOT of other things. XOXO