Blowin' in the Wind

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."
- Mark Twain

You hear it all the time: age ain't nothin' but a number, age is a state of mind, you're only as old as you feel, and so on & so forth. While I agree with this to a point, I'm beginning to wonder - what of age differences in relationships? If you're 80 but you 'feel' 18, should you date an 18 year old? I'd lean toward no...

Until recently I've been a firm believer in the "half your age plus seven" rule. It was basically the gospel in Rolla, and was so concrete in my mind that I didn't even look twice at people outside it. Well, as you might know, the last person I had a 'thing' with was outside this comfort zone. Just barely, though, so I could justify it if I needed.

Now, that is over, and I've started talking to someone who I think I may like to pursue further. Of course, "further" just means talk to him outside of work, so far. It could end up that there is some thing that I find out that just destroys this before it happens, but assuming there's not.... how old is too old?

I believe it should somehow be percentage-based, and ultimately I think most people are of that same mindset (the half-plus-seven is sort of based on this same logic...But when you get past a certain age it gets sort of creepy - a 90 year old and a 52 year old? I guess Hugh Hefner is still kicking even that in the ass). For instance, 6 years between 28 & 34 - not a big deal. 6 years between 21 & 15 - totally creepy. Right? But where....what....is this magic percent? Is it 80% of your age? So if you're 50, you can date a 40 year old by this rule, but all the way down to 32 with the half plus 7 rule....

This particular guy (we'll call him Morning) is 15 years my senior. And when I look at that number, 15, I see many things: He graduated high school when I was 2 or 3. He could legally drink when I was 6. 15 years is 65% of my life so far, and less than 40 of his. However, when I don't look at that number, I also see many things. Different things. I find him adorable. He seems to be a genuinely nice person. We have a similar outlook on life. We have a lot in common & overlapping interests. These things are the important things...right?

Let's see....80% of 38 is...over 30...Damn. And Morning's half + 7 age = 26.

I'm not worried about what other people think, as long as I'm happy. But then I wonder about things like the variance in sexual peak: Males reach this peak between 18-25, whereas females reach it between 25-40. This means that by the time I am in this peak age range, he will be at least 40 but anywhere up to 55. That's pushin' the Viagra years!! However, considering that I won't be having sex in my peak with a man who is in his peak unless he's 10 or more years younger than me, do I factor that in at all? It's not fair to women that mentally they mature faster than males but sexually it's so much later. Uggg put this on the list of reasons I hate being a chick. :/



According to this made-up chart I found on a random blog, I am right smack dab in the middle of the sugar daddy age group. Hmmm...

What are your guys' thoughts on this? Is there something I'm not thinking of that should sway me one way or the other??