Me in my twenties - mocked for my idealism and the related accessories on my car and person that proclaimed such ideals.

Me in my thirties - starting to feel a little beat down by life, really hard to get myself to care about more than keeping a roof over the family's head.

Me in my forties - starting that stereotypical rightward slide, spent a few years listening to some folks I shouldn't have, which didn't help.

Also me in my forties - started to realize on topics I knew something about, those people I was listening to were full of shit. Stopped listening. That idealism of my twenties was quietly going "Hey I'm still here, I just need a little attention!" I couldn't hear it for a long time, but it never stopped tugging.

Me in my fifties - I'm not sure what fucking happened, but I started to feel more like my twenties than I had in a long time. Still struggling, still paycheck to paycheck. But more believing in the good people around me. More believing in those ideals from my twenties. More mentally flexible than I'd felt in a long while. Peace and love for everyone.

Me still in my fifties - eat the rich, fuck Republicans, and fuck Democrats for pretending to care all these years. I need to find politicians who represent me, because it sure as hell isn't these donor-controlled far-right and center-right assholes.

I'm old enough to understand that every time you think "this will never happen to me" it's DEFINITELY going to happen to you.