A story about aging.

Gather 'round children, and let me recite a tale of when I thought i was still young...
Not too long ago, in fact, it was yesterday, I stopped by the Great Clips by my house on the way home from work for a haircut (as I've often done). The girl begins cutting my hair and starts making small talk (I've blogged before about the concept of barbershop gab, or salon prattle and the like and confessed then that I wasn't a great conversationalist during haircuts. It's like my kryptonite). The place was really busy this particular visit. It was close to an hour wait time for walk-ins. I used the great clips app to check in online as I was leaving work so I only waited 5 minutes once i got there.
She apologized for the wait and asked what I had been up to this fine day.
"Just getting off work" I answered.
"Oh really?? Do you always work Saturdays?"
"It really depends on business, but typically I work Saturdays so I can take Sunday off."
"Oh." She paused. "For church?"
"Yeah that's one of the reasons."
"Are you LDS?" She asked.
"...I am in fact." I replied.
"Oh good, I just realized that could have been awkward if you weren't. I am too."
"So do you have any kids?" She asked as she maneuvered her scissors around my scalp.
"I have a 4 year old son. That's the other reason I prefer Sundays off. I get to pick him up from his mom's on Sundays."
"Oh that's cool." She continued to artfully work around my cowlicks. A brief pause as she stepped away to check someone else in, and she returned to continue the cut. After a few minutes of back and forth about why I was divorced (yeah I know- this girl is cutting my hair and asking me for my life story at the same time-I don't know what to say), there was a brief pause. "So, are you dating anyone?" She inquired as she moved on to my neck line.
"I'm not." I answered, wondering if this conversation was sounding as strange to the others in the room as it did in my head.
"Why not? Just not interested?" She pressed on.
"No it's not that. I go to a family ward and I don't have a tremendous amount of time to devote to dating at this time, also I don't know many single LDS girls, so that combination results in being single right now." I could feel the eyes of the waiting patrons looking in our direction.
(And here is the kicker boys and girls)
"Why a family ward?" She asked. "Aren't there singles wards for older people?... I mean, not filled with 18 yr olds?" I could tell she added the last part to help sooth the zinger she inadvertently laid about the old folks.
"Yes, I believe there are." I thought about asking her how old she thought I was, but didn't want to set myself up for two wise-cracks in a row. 'Fool me once...' I thought to myself. "I'm a couple years from the 30 and over ward. So maybe ill check it out when they let me in."
I don't know if it was the shock that I was under 30 or what but I saw a concerned look on her face as she was finishing my neck line.
"I think I cut you. Sorry about that! You were right, you do have a lot of cowlicks!"
"It happens. Don't worry about it." I replied, thinking it was almost poetic justice to end the haircut and conversation on that note.

I'm not sure what happened for those 25 minutes but I did get a haircut. And also came away with the knowledge that I'm no longer 'young'. So mission accomplished I guess.