Suddenly we're all the same age.

all growed up....

At my grandmothers recent 90th birthday breakfast I shared a table with all my cousins and while my cousin was giving the toast my sister looked over at me said “when did Jamie grow up?” my goodness I thought she’s right, when did we ALL grow up and become the same age.

I’m the 4th grandchild and there is a significant age gap between my eldest cousin and myself and a significant age gap between me and my youngest cousin and growing up I always looked at my elder cousins as adults, they were the grown ups I was desperate to become, they always seemed so much older than me and sure we played as kids but the age difference in my mind was so big that they never felt like my contemporaries-it always felt like I was trying to catch up to them- and the same with my youngest cousin, she was always little Annie the baby of us all-who made me feel like an adult in the room-. What a wild time, feeling like a child against one but a grown up against another.

Then suddenly like a set of scales that evens itself out one day I woke up and we were all the same age. Instead of feeling like a child I was suddenly communicating with my elder cousins as their contemporary and Annie stopped being a little girl and she’s suddenly discussing life matters, hopes, dreams and disappointments with me. We went from playing with dolls to playing with my cousins babies.

I don’t know how it happened but I sure am glad it did. We used to sit quietly at the “kids table” not really having conversation for each other, now our table is the noisiest as we gossip, laugh and share our lives with each other. From being forced into family gatherings by our parents to now hosting dinner parties, karaoke nights and wine farm trips as often as we can with each other. If I don’t speak to them for a length of time the world feels like its slightly off axis.

This is the magic of growing up, becoming adults and knowing who we are as people has helped us to forge these truly wonderful relationships and friendships . We are the only people in the world who know what it’s like to be our grandparents grandchildren, we have this wonderful thread that binds us. You cannot choose your family they say but you can choose your friends and I just think its swell that we’ve chosen each other as friends.

Soon we will be spread out over 4 cities in 3 countries and I will miss our random get togethers but I think we’ve built such a wonderful bond that will sustain us no matter the physical distance between us.

These are my people, I love them dearly and I’m so glad we’re all finally the same age.

Photo 1 and 3 taken by Travis Shot