For the last couple of years, I’ve taken to waxing philosophic in this very space on my birthday about getting older. I’ve written about how I don’t feel old and I’ve even written a birthday letter to my younger self.

I woke up this morning and realized that this year, I didn’t have anything to say about getting older or any wisdom to impart to my younger self. I realized that it’s because I’m finally at peace with my past and I’m doing what I want to do with my life.  Yes, it was a long, twisting road that went into some dark places, but I had to travel it to get to this point.

But…

I’ve been legal now for 25 years. I graduated from high school 25 years ago. So for this year’s “self-indulgent obligatory birthday post”, I thought it would be fun to do a then and now post.

Twenty-Five Years, Then and Now

Then, I had my music on cassette tapes, which I played on my Walkman.  If you were going out somewhere, you had to make sure you knew which tapes you wanted to listen to because it could get kind of cumbersome lugging your entire music collection around with you.

Old School Walkman

Now, I listen to my music on an iPod. Not only can I carry around my entire music collection on one device, I can go shopping, take pictures, surf the internet, tweet what I’m listening to, stream radio stations from all over the world, go on Facebook, keep track of my menstrual cycle, play Angry Birds or watch TV on it.   I can do all kinds of other things on it.

One of the most popular TV shows in 1988 was The Cosby Show, which focused on the Huxtable family.  Mom was an attorney. Dad was an obstetrician and had a fondness for loud sweaters.  They always had sage advice for their children.

One of the most popular TV shows in 2013, is The Walking Dead. It has zombies in it.

The Walking Dead

In 1988, we did have computers. They looked like this:

Try playing Angry Birds with this.

Now, we have the iPad.

In the world of music, Guns ‘n Roses was very popular 25 years ago. I don’t know many people who didn’t own Appetite for Destruction.  Sweet Child of Mine is still one of my favorite songs.

Guns ‘n’ Roses

Now…One Direction.

One Direction

Speaking of Music…MTV 1988 played mostly music videos. The video for Need You Tonight by INXS was in heavy rotation.

INXS-Need You Tonight

MTV 2013…Trashy reality television.

Buckwild. It’s Jersey Shore, except it’s in West Virginia and it has a cast of rednecks instead of guidos.

And finally, here is me in 1988 and now 2013.

What 25 years looks like on me. Left: Me in 1988 at the age of 18. Be amazed at my hair! Right: Me in 2013 at 43. Older. Wiser. Redder.