10 Things You Do That Undoubtedly Prove You’re An Old Soul

There’s no shame in being “wise beyond your years” or “mature for your age.” If you’re like me, you’ve probably always felt a little more comfortable at the Adults table, even if you were only seven years old.

You have a sincere appreciation for many things that are often overlooked by your counterparts like the power of moth balls and spoken word. If you’ve ever been called the mom of your circle, we’d probably be friends. Here’s few signs that we’re in this together:

1. You live your life by this motto: “the early bird gets the worm.”

Even when you try desperately to sleep past sunrise like the rest of your generation, you simply cannot. It doesn’t matter if you’ve only gotten three hours of snoozing in, you’re up and at ‘em in the wee hours – always.

2. People think your favorite foods are weird.

Pickled beets make everything better and rum raisin ice cream is in your top five. You’ve probably got a bowl of various hard candies, including but not limited to, Werther’s Originals, butterscotch pieces and of course those strawberry foil-wrapped ones. If you’re a really old soul, you might even carry them around in a little tattered zip baggy along with your pocket-size Kleenex pack.

3. You cling to and sometimes unknowingly live by “old people wisdom.”

You won’t step foot outside with wet hair because you will get pneumonia. You always lift your feet when you drive over train tracks and you never pass a cemetery without doing the Sign of the Cross. You don’t sleep with a fan blowing directly on you because it will give you asthma (okay, this is one is ridiculous but my Grandma swears you can “catch” asthma from it).

4. Saving money makes you giddy.

In fact, if you’re true old soul, you probably know, down to the penny, what’s in your bank account. You look at everything in dollars and cents. That salad bar you got for lunch at $5.99 a pound? You could’ve bought five heads of lettuce for the same price – even if you had to buy it, you still have that fleeting thought of what you could’ve gotten for the same price.

5. Your style is conservative.

You have a love for the classics that are modest and elegant. A string of pearls and anything herringbone are your go-to. Your flat of choice is most likely an oxford or penny loafer – of which, you certainly slip the lucky penny into.

6. There’s an ice cube or two in your chardonnay.

You don’t fool around with freezing grapes or buying contraptions that keep your wine cold without diluting. You’re a traditionalist. You don’t conform to trendy, pretentious wine rules.

7. You roll your change.

Coinstar, who? You’d never take your coins to a machine that keeps a portion. You’ve got the old school paper wrappers. You roll your own and tote them to the bank where you get your cash – for free.

8. You still believe in the power of a hand-written word.

You take the time to send a hand-penned thank you notes because they’re far more significant than an iMessage. You probably send your parents and friends hand-written cards via snail mail for all the holidays, too (even if they only live 20 minutes away). You appreciate the thought behind that $0.49 stamp.

9. You’re a lover of “real” books.

There is something that makes your heart warm when you can thumb through the paper pages, right? If you’re an old soul, you don’t fool around with e-readers. In fact, you’re probably one of the few that still visits the library on the regular. And if you’re a really old soul (like me), you write a check for your overdue fees. Archaic, I know.

10. You probably say things a little differently than most people your age.

Drapes instead of curtains. Pocketbook instead of purse. Trousers instead of work pants. Supper instead of dinner. Dungarees instead of jeans. Stories instead of soap operas. Peddle-pushers instead of capris. Good googly moogly instead of what the fuck (well, maybe you say what the fuck, too).