Growing Old.

There's this little embroidered thing that hangs in my parents' room that I've admired for years.  It reads, "Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be."  Now, I've had battles with myself in my brain about what the rhythm for that phrase should be (groooow oooold aloong with meeee, the best/ is yet/ to beee, vs. grow OLD aLONG with MEEE, the BEST is YET to BEEE...distractingly difficult, no?) and spent many moments trying to settle the dispute.  I always liked it in spite of its enigmatic iambs, though.

I was at the car place getting new tires the other day when I realized just how much of my life I was spending in their squeaky faux-leather chairs watching trashy soaps.  I sent my mom a text that went something like this:  "I've just realized that I'm growing old sitting here at the car dealership.  And I think I've also realized that I'd like to grow old somewhere else."

Here is yet another list, this time a queue of options for how I'd like to grow old.  I would be okay with combinations of these too, just so you know.

1.  Sitting at a baseball game just off first base, winning by a narrow margin, clutch plays happening left and right, eating a hot dog and drinking a Cherry Lemon SunDrop, with someone else who loves baseball but has yet to hear all my facts, statistics and stories...or who doesn't mind hearing them again.

2.  Watching the sunrise, watching the sunset.  Definitely at a beach.  And it's warm outside.  I think it would help to have my favorite me-made drink in my hand, too.

3.  Sleeping?  Is that allowed?

4.  Cuddling on the couch with a hot and sweet man, either friend or love (I can make do with both), watching movies.  Preferably starting out with Shooter and ending with Pride and Prejudice.

5.  Making dinner for people who love food and who love me.  There's nothing like cooking for a crowd who will absolutely appreciate it and who will practically roll around in whatever is set in front of them.

6.  Eating fried chicken and rice and gravy and green beans and biscuits.  Duh.

7.  Sitting on the porch, drinking sweet tea or iced coffee, listening to birds and Edwin McCain singing, reading a classic novel or a young adult book.  Yay.

8.  Giving hugs to nice-smelling people.  People who smell nice are the avid hugger's holy grail.  Ooh, no, ATTRACTIVE nice-smelling people are.

9.  Taking a long drive to somewhere wonderful on a sunny day.  A little bit of speeding, a lot of sunshine and Cherry Lemon, belting snappy tunes at the top of my lungs, wind blowing my hair so it gets stuck in my lip balm...

10.  Watching chick flicks with the bff while eating either a burger or barbecue sandwich from CookOut.  With a chicken quesadilla and chili-cheese fries, of course, and a milkshake (oreo cheesecake? coffee? mocha? peanut butter-fudge?  who knows.).  I'm thinking P&P and HJNTIY would be involved if we're talking the ultimate experience here.  And maybe a little NKOTBSB in the interim periods.

I think I'll stop at ten, not because it's a nice number (we all know multiples of five are my favorites), but because my dinner is ready.  So there you have it, my friends, ten ways I would choose to grow old.  Now I shall turn to my rice and gravy.