Old dogs, new tricks...

Last year I wrote a post in response to a 30 year old asking me out on a date. The short version (which for me is quite the rarity) was, and still is that 30 is just to old for me. It's purly a "me" thing, and a mental perception of what I see a 30 year old being. I am not where a 30 year old is, and furthermore could not fulfill most of their expecatations (in my own head at least). I guess to me dating a 30 year old would require me to "sell" or "trade" what little youth I have left. Sure 30 year olds can be "young" still and do young things, but they should be focused on career, children and marriage. I'm just not there yet... I'm on track to be there eventually, but not close enough to the station. Needless to say I did not date the 30 year old, and I have not regretted that decision at all.. This year brings forth the same issue, but on the flip side. Is it acceptable for me to "hang out" ok ok date someone who is a wee bit younger than myself? I have always been a stickler for age. My old boss actually called me an agist, in the sence that I always stated taht there was no way in hell I would ever date anyone younger than myself. I have followed that method of thinking until now. A#1 was my age, and A#2 was a year older than me (which was the ideal age in my own oppinion). Neither of these relationships ended because of age related issues, and thus I maintain that as far as age goes I've always been on track.. I find it funny though, because if one of my guy friends dated a younger girl (and a lot of them have or are) I would fully support it, and probably not even think twice about the issue of age. When it comes to a girl (including myself) dating a younger guy, it's quite the different story. Why the double standard? I do not know. I have agreed to hang out with someone younger, and I'm going to see how it goes. I'm going in to this with an open mind, and also knowing that internally I must see something special or different in this person for the sole reason that Im agreeing to let go of my "rules" and go. Rules are ment to be broken, and hopefully this rule was one worth breaking... I guess we'll see