Primetime Years: How Long is your social run and your roles during that run.
In the three major professional sports leagues NFL, NBA and MLB normally an athlete has about 5-8 peak years where they perform at their ultimate best and when their bodies are at absolute peak performance. But as those peak years tailor off, your energy slowly decreases and you’re not as up for games as you’re use to. Maybe your prime-time is actually slipping away? Maybe thinking about the other side?
Basically How long is our social run? Those prime years where you were the life of the party, you was the go-to party person, you was the ultra fun friend where you always enjoying planning your weekends with your friends. At events you were that drunk person doing the most or least, or was super friendly person that got along with everyone and known everyone at the same time, or you was the best wingman or wingwoman ever!
I realized when my primetime years and roles have change completely on May 19th 2019 2:30am. So I meet up with someone at spot near my crib that has good hip hop music at this time a night. I’m in there and the vibe is cool, just black folks rocking to all music black! Certain songs came on where you know I usually get closer to the dance floor, start rocking a little harder than other songs. Rapping like you’re at a karaoke in front of your friends type of vibe. But I didn’t move to it. Certain Get-Lite, Uptown harlem songs I didn’t move to dance floor too. I was seeing the younger dudes having fun being niggas and gentlemen at the same time. In my head I thought “man let em have it, it’s their time.” Next it’s seeing your boy setting himself up to talk to this woman, So now I feel myself having to prepare to be a wing-man when before it would be just natural for me to already engage with the friend. Lastly just seeing people hype for the let out, looking for the nightcap or the next move. I was just not with all of that anymore. That’s when I knew it was time for my next role at social spots on random weekends, or just in my social life now. I was truly just in my little zone just noticing all of this going on, chatting it up with my boy, vibing to the music and just making my way.
Right now in my life I would consider my role or stage currently as the Young Veteran or the Young OG. - This position starts to creep up in you late 20′s like 29 but hits you officially when you are 30 and a half. This is where you know you don’t have that same energy for the party social life. Less clubs more lounges and bars lately. Prefer the Shin Digs, Game nights, brunches and day parties often. You can still drop kill a fire dance move moment like you use to and get the crowd hype. You still can rap hard over your favorite record that’s playing ever now and then. You know you can still show up the young ones that’s trying to do a dance that was your prime dance move. But now you don’t feel like trying to prove you still got it. you had your run of greatness and now it’s time to let young ones take over. Young OG can still get off the bench and drop a nice 25pts in a game (90′s-2010′s dances, 2000- 2010′s Trap Party Song Anthems still your Golden ticket, We still have Swag Surf!)
The Social Run and it’s Stages
1st Round Draft Pick - “Untapped Potential”(Age 21-Late 24 Years old): You are most likely wrapping up your last semester of college. A Fresh Post-undergraduate getting ready to move back home with your parents or have your first adult roommates in a small boxed apartment in gentrified Harlem or PG County in Maryland.. Every weekend is your little getaway from your new low paying job, newfound adult responsibilities, and your parents wanting to make up parenting memories because you was at college for so long. So you drink and party like you’re still in undergrad but try to fake adult it all of a sudden by saying you won’t party on Sunday and get ready for work next week. That didn’t last long.. We are young and vibrant in the clubs ready to show our hometown or new city the new moves we grabbed. This stage you took risks, shot more shots than ever before, Parties to the next move to Parties and back all in a 3 day span and you wake up like excited for the next Friday to come. This was that true Adulthood isn’t that bad as it is happening.
Championships Run - “The Contender”(Age 25- Late 29): This is your time now, you know all the hot-spots in your town, you know higher ups and gain more access now. You are hip to the trends and now you take over the parties. The Untapped potentials under ya’ll don’t know all the pitfalls that are ahead of them so you can infiltrate their mistakes and shine. You start dating, you fall in love, your super single at times, your in between jobs, you have established your crew dances and rap/R&b songs, you went to a PWI so you know white frat party songs, our go to 90s song to show you we are grown. Again This was your time.., Your PRIMETIME YEARS.
Young Veteran “Young OG” (Age 30-35): More from above but you are that multiple time champion that has been to the top and had their fair share of L’s along the way. You have experienced heartbreak, you might be engaged. You start to feel your decline for the constant turn up. You are into Must Love Beards and Kwanzaa Crawls, Summertime NYC and August time DC! Grits & Biscuits, Roots Picnic and Rooftop day parties. You more for the vibes and the chill, But can show a young one up in a series but not in the regular season. You have relationship duties now, you have your first child and learning being parent on the fly, you in the thick of gradschool and don’t have time for anyone. We still have a pulse and are soon to be gatekeepers. But what is left?
Veteran “Hov-Bey Lane”
Hopefully by this point everything is becoming aligned in your life. You got that Dual Master’s or your Doctorate Degree. You run your own business, You found your finance and is ready to embark on that next step. Things are looking great. Its more baby showers and weddings. Family Trips, couples date. Kids Games nights. Auctions for your job. etc. Your life is really far apart from that every weekend social life at this juncture your whole mode has change, it’s vacations, bucket lists with reason, College Reunions, Just a real down to earth comfortable social life with your sprinkles of ratchet and wild moments but it wont be to the same magnitude as your college and 20′s; but it will feel good.
Where are you current in your social run? How were those early moments of your social life? Any regrets? What are you excited for next?
