Younger and Younger

1pm

I'll never get used to getting smaller. It's starting to become more and more noticeable now that I'm in my kid years where they grow fast. Things suddenly appear taller, the kids at the daycare seem taller, objects are heavier, and I'm getting too short to reach things. At lunch I was able to slide into the chair with no problem, but now it's taking a bit more effort to get on and off an adult chair as my feet get further and further away from the ground. Everything seems to adapt to my new age, my clothes always fit the way they should, and everyone around me thinks of me as my age. I went from working here, to being a high school volunteer, to them helping look after me for my mom as a special request from Bea. Nobody seems to notice and everything seems normal to them, they're completely oblivious to the girl who keeps getting younger right in front of their eyes.

It's naptime now and all the little ones are passed out asleep on their mats, the staff are quietly supervising and cleaning up, getting ready for the next activity. They let me stay at the adult table and I'm doodling away in a notebook just passing the time, just like a kid would be doing. I used to love to draw, but I'm finding it harder to keep the same coordination I used to have. The pen feels giant in my hand, or my hands look tiny compared to the pen, I don't know what the difference is anymore. I've decided to try and enjoy my situation! It's unavoidable, unexplainable, and likely unstoppable, and there's a ton of people out there who would love to have a second childhood! I'm not really one of them, but when you're backed into a corner, I guess you go with the flow.

I even feel like I'm being treated like a kid by the staff, they're off doing their grown-up things and I'm here keeping busy until the kids start waking up from their naps. I think I might be 8 or 9 now, and it seems like I've been getting younger at a steady rate all day. I still don't know how little I'm going to get, but I'm going to make the best of it and enjoy the time I have!

I stopped drawing and took a look at my work, it looked like a cat. Not my best work, but it's one of the best drawings I've seen a kid do!