Is this our tenth life?

Growing up, my best friend would always tell me that I was an old soul. I didn't understand what she meant at the time, and I am sure I pestered her into explaining it to me as I usually do. She told me, "You just act and talk differently, like as if you are from another time. You're just an old soul."

Now, I still don't know what the actual definition of an old soul is. For me, being told over and over again that I was a so-called "old soul" made me think that I was just different. Fine. I liked it, I liked being told I was different, I don't know why. Maybe it is because I always felt different. I did act differently and I did talk differently. Growing up as an only child, I was accustomed to always being around older people. I enjoyed their company, I enjoyed listening to their conversations and if something interested me enough I would either ask my father about it or find out for myself. Growing up with older, and more intelligent, people, something had to stick with me, so why not their language?

That was what I thought that my friend was talking about when she told me that I talked differently. Now, however, I think she meant my ideas, my beliefs, my thoughts in general. I talked differently because I thought differently. I won't give all the credit to my relationship and fondness to older people, though. I like to think that it was because I am an old soul. I like the thought of me being "wise beyond my years" or "having experienced many lives before" and that I have accumulated knowledge through them. Either way, I'm not complaining. Who wouldn't want to be called an old soul?

Here's the thing, though. Being an old soul, trapped in a young person's body (woman's more specifically) can be a little tough. It has many struggles as many of you old souls know. And if you aren't an old soul and you're reading this, try and be understanding.

We have been called weird. We have been told we are "too mature for our age" like it's a bad thing! We are usually the ones that people come to for advice and are excellent at it, even if we don't always follow it ourselves. We enjoy taking care of other people. Pampering them, getting them stuff, etc. We have been called out by our friends when wanting to hang out and talk with the adults rather than going outside and playing with the kids. I still sit with my mom and her friends sometimes. We date or simply just have friends who are older than us. Hey, that's not weird or anything! Dating in the world and society that we live in today confuses us. We want an old kind of love, the kind you see in films and novels! We love books. It gets to the point where we don't understand how people don't love reading and have a stack of them at home. It causes us great discomfort to know that such things as Nooks (or any other form of electronic books) exist. What's the point if you can't touch it and smell it!?

We are obsessed with another generation or generations, one or a few of which we most likely lived in another life or lives and would do anything to return to it/them. We do, think too much and often, about life. The meaning of life, one's purpose and so on. We enjoy spending time alone. Hey, we need time to recharge so we can make it out in this crazy mysterious world we live in nowadays.

So yeah, have a little bit of compassion for us! We are old souls who crave more, feel more, give more, and are often disappointed but we survive. I embrace what I am, an old soul, and you should too if you are one. If you aren't though, be mindful that we have lived many lives and can be a little different. Different is good, though. So here's to you, old soul. May you be brave in overcoming your many struggles as you go out in the world and live this life as you go on to your next.