I remind myself of this stuff when I get worried that I'm failing at life post-graduation

I think the reason why twentysomethings are so fixated on age is because we feel a pressure to be a certain way at 23, at 25, at 29. There are all of these invisible deadlines with our careers and with love and being stupid. We feel so much guilt for essentially acting our age and making mistakes. We’re obsessed with this idea of being domesticated and having our lives together. It’s kind of sad actually because I don’t think we ever fully get a chance to enjoy our youth. We’re so concerned about doing things “the right way” that we lose any sense of pleasure in doing things the wrong way. Youth may be truly wasted on the young.

Ryan O'Connell
http://thoughtcatalog.com/2011/why-do-twentysomethings-feel-so-old/

Going through a pretty huge Neil Gaiman phase right now...

Some small children were asked what love is...

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love."

Rebecca- age 8

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“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.”

Billy – age 4

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“Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.”

Karl – age 5

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“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.”

Terri – age 4

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“Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.”

Danny – age 7

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“Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss”

Emily – age 8

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“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.”

Bobby – age 7

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“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.”

Noelle – age 7

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“Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.”

Tommy – age 6

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“During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.”

Cindy – age 8

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“My mommy loves me more than anybody . You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.”

Clare – age 6

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“Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.”

Elaine-age 5

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“Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.”

Chris – age 7

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“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.”

Mary Ann – age 4

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“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.”

Karen – age 7

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“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.”

Jessica – age 8

You Are Tired (I Think)--e.e. cummings

You are tired,
(I think)
Of the always puzzle of living and doing;
And so am I.

Come with me, then,
And we’ll leave it far and far away
(Only you and I, understand!)

You have played,
(I think)
And broke the toys you were fondest of,
And are a little tired now;
Tired of things that break, and
Just tired.
So am I.

But I come with a dream in my eyes tonight,
And I knock with a rose at the hopeless gate of your heart
Open to me!
For I will show you places Nobody knows,
And, if you like,
The perfect places of Sleep.

Ah, come with me!
I’ll blow you that wonderful bubble, the moon,
That floats forever and a day;
I’ll sing you the jacinth song
Of the probable stars;
I will attempt the unstartled steppes of dream,
Until I find the Only Flower,
Which shall keep (I think) your little heart
While the moon comes out of the sea.

Location, Location, Location--Gabriel Gadfly

I could have kissed you
under cherry blossoms,
pale petals drifting down
like the trees wanted to
pretend they could be
snowclouds.

I could have kissed you
in the rain, drenched to
our bones and not even
caring that the skies
opened up above us
and tried to wash us out.

I could have kissed you
in a clearing in the most
secluded woods, with
just the sound of wind
rustling through the leaves
and a few voyeuristic
finches peeping at us.

Instead, I kissed you
in the parking lot of a
Waffle House, just shy
of 2 a.m. in the middle
of a hectic week, with
our waitress grinning
at us from the other
side of the window,
because, honestly,
how could I not?

In the words of a hooker:

'Cause men like to think they can rescue you. Like you got a disease and they got the special cure just waiting for you. Come in here, honey, don't ya want someone to understand you? Me, I understand you. I'm the only guy knows a chick like you. I got a dick as long as a Third Avenue menu but I got a heart bigger'n the Bronx. They fuck you like they're doing you a big favor. Every man wants a whore to rescue, that's the knockdown truth. It's a disease in itself, you ask me. Then, when they've shot their wad they just zip up and go and forget about you. That's something fucked up in the head.

--Let the Great World Spin, Colum McCann