I Thought You Were My Age!

This is what the guy said to me at the AT&T store last weekend after I gave him my license. In fact, the full quote was:

AT&T Guy – 1991?? Dude I thought you were my age.

Me – What the fuck is that supposed to mean, how old are you?

AT&T Guy – Chill out bro, I’m 26.

The nerve! Believe it or not this isn’t the first time this has happened to me. I mean, it’s the first time the AT&T guy said it, but I had a similar interaction at the CHESS CLUB. The other “young” person at the club and I, who had spoken several times at previous matches, found out I was 34 and said the exact same thing, “I thought you were my age!“. He, coincidentally, was also 26.

From ages 5-20 I was annoyed that I was young in school and young looking. When I got to college, people had beards and I had braces. I was also 5’8 and 140lbs (that hasn’t changed). That, to me, was not good. I wanted to look like a MAN.

But now that we’re older, the turntables have turned. My decades of suffering and embarrassment have paid off. I’m flattered when two 26 year old dudes think I’m their age. My guess is that trend will continue; that when I’m 40, some 32 year old will think I’m his age.

So although the practical impact of looking younger is essentially zero, the emotional impact has flipped from a negative to a positive. To my friends at the AT&T store and the chess club, thank you, you made my day.