The Curse of Eternal Youth

My enduring quest to be treated like a grown-up.

One step closer to death, and still I look like a child. Baroque Facade with Cherub and Skull — Prague, Czech Republic by Adam Jones on Flickr. Shared under (CC BY-SA 2.0)

On my 35th birthday, I was asked for ID when purchasing alcohol at the supermarket. I was seriously impressed in some ways, as it’s evidently plausible that I could look half my age to the cashier. But it also felt like an indignity, and an injustice that I have acutely felt in other areas of my life. I have always looked considerably younger than I actually am, with…