At 14: L.L. Bean is that store my mom always wants to stop at when we’re travelling through the United States. I wander, with occasional vague interest, through the Camping Section to pass the time while she hunts for deals on sweaters, jackets, and bookbags. I wonder how someone can possibly browse here for soooo long. And who knew so many things came in plaid?

Today: Kiddo and I both have L.L. Bean bookbags and duffle bags. I love them. When an L.L. Bean opened at my local mall, I was over the moon. When Hubby asked what I wanted for Christmas last year, I showed him the plaid, sherpa-lined L.L. Bean sweater. No, I don’t want it to be a surprise. I have to try it on first to make sure it’s the right size.

At 14: In gym class, or rugby practice, I go through the motions of warmup and cooldown because the gym teacher or coach tells me to. It all seems a bit overrated and timewasting. It takes hours of exercise to make me wake up sore the next morning. I can go months without deliberate exercise, then run a 10k for the hell of it.

Today: I need to stretch when I get out of bed in the morning, and periodically throughout the day, or I’ll be sore from doing nothing. If I miss more than two weeks of running, I’m back to zero. It will take a couple of months to get back up to 5k, let alone 10. I wonder what I was thinking ever playing rugby.

At 14: Ouch, I rolled my ankle jumping off that fence. I’ll just walk around a bit until it feels better.

Today: Ouch, how did I hurt my knee? I guess I won’t be running for a few weeks. And then my next run can only be 5 minutes long (see previous comment) or my knee will start hurting all over again.

At 14: “I’ve had these jeans forever.” Means, I’ve had these jeans for more than a year.

Today: “I’ve had these jeans forever.” Means, I’ve had these jeans longer than the age I was when I bought them. Actually, they’re baggy overalls (which explains why they still fit). I bought them when I was 19, and I still use them for painting.

At 14: “No, Mom, pleeeease don’t make me come with you to Fabricville.”

Today: “Ooh, I’ve got some extra time. I’ll just go browse through Michaels.”