by Rachel Olson

Created on: February 12, 2013

It was fun when we were 20 on a Friday night,
Everyone buzzed and feeling all right;
Singing "This is how we do it" with hands in the air,
Heads bobbing with spiral perms and sitcom Rachel hair.

Boys hooted and hollered with pickup line fables,
Girls laughed as they mingled and danced on tables.
All the people were pretty; all the people were hot,
Enhanced with not much more than a tequila shot.

Youth was adrenaline rush and invincible beauty.
We said things like "get your grove on" and "she’s got booty".
Designated driver campaigns were all the rage,
And Michael Jackson kissed Lisa Marie Presley on stage.

But now when we say "reach for my 40",
It’s a birthday wish beginning with "Lordy, Lordy".
It has nothing to do with a goodtime alcohol drink -
We need all remaining brain cells just to think.

Where once we saw the weekend as adventurous fun,
Now we fully expect to get up early and go for a run.
A desperate attempt to stave off that inevitable thing:
Wrinkles, forgetfulness and all the saggy skin age will bring

No more sleeping in and getting up late,
No more faith in horoscopes to predict our future fate.
Older and becoming increasingly jaded,
Our memories worn, stale and faded.

So this is how we do it now:
Strike a Tia Chi pose and stretch into a bow;
No more dance music blasting in our ears,
And recall with a meditative smile the fun of our younger years.

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