Every Labor Day weekend, the good people in my neighborhood gather together for a block party. I've been MIA for the past 4 of these occasions as I've been at school in California, and so I was really looking forward to the event. I spent my time answering questions from neighbors about my painfully dull life at the moment, eating various pasta salads and an assortment of shredded meats, and failing miserably at the water balloon toss- a white dress was not a good choice. And suddenly, it happened. A finger poked me on the shoulder as I sat trying to remember if the brownie in my hand was number 7 or 8, and before I knew it I was being escorted to the backyard of a neighbor's house by a 6th grade girl. There in front of me sat The Cool Crowd of Nittany Ct.
The Cool Crowd consists of 4 boys and 1 girl, some in third grade, most in sixth. It dawned on me as I stood before them on a patio away from the adult folk that I was being invited to join their 12 and under gang. Despite being on the precipice of my 23rd birthday, I couldn't help but desperately want to prove myself worthy of such an invitation. And so began the initiation. I don't know if it's because I'm going through an almost-quarter-life crisis, or if it was because the most nutritious thing I'd eaten all day was a barbeque potato chip, but I was prepared to do whatever it took to gain their miniature approval.
I have "Call Me Maybe" on my iPhone. Yes, this is an actual iPhone, not just an iTouch. Yes, I do know who Weird Al is - "White and Nerdy" is my jam. I've been known to watch Spongebob from time to time; I agree, Squidward should pop a Percocet. Did you hear about the "Finding Nemo" 3D rerelease in theaters?? I laughed at 12 year old boy YouTube cult classics with titles like "Chicken Nugget Biscuit", I commiserated over gross school lunches, and I didn't once over think anything.
This fitting in thing is a breeze. So what if my witty quip about Dr. Dre was met with blank stares? Who cares because I have REAL iPhone (a non-phenomenon that never seems to gets old with this crowd). Within me all this time were the key ingredients to being cool, and I'm just now discovering them. One of the third grade boys even drew a life size chalk replica of me on the driveway...complete with my phone in hand and dimples. And I gotta say...I look damn good on pavement. There was an ease to hangin with this crowd, and I can't remember the last time I had so much fun. These kids are comfortable with themselves; they're surprisingly well articulated, and have no other agenda apart from having as much fun as possible. I am drawn to their unjaded, carpe diem attitude, and really think we should all attempt to integrate ourselves into their silly world for awhile if only to just remind ourselves of how carefree life should be.
Maybe I should be concerned that I mesh so well with preteens...and prepreteens, but who doesn't want to be immortalized in chalk...until it rains?
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