Got Soul?

I have always been intrigued by the notion of souls having an "age".

You know the deal--someone will point to a child and murmur, "He's an old soul." Without missing a beat, others in the room will cluck in agreement. (Are they really agreeing or just going along with the flow to sound more intellectual or knowledgeable?)

I don't know if I totally agree with the concept, and I'm not entirely comfortable with reincarnation (though it doesn't scare me), but I can say that when I look into the eyes of some individuals, I feel as though they've been on earth for a very long time.

Once, I worked with a gentleman who was, I believe, an ancient soul. Every time I talked with him, I sensed that I had known him a long time ago. And we had definitely never crossed paths in "this life." It wasn't a romantic type of connection; just a strange, indescribable relationship that felt centuries old. It almost made me uncomfortable to be around him, as if we weren't talking about something we were supposed to discuss. This was years ago, and I still find myself ruminating about it today.

I know it sounds crazy--believe me. But there's just this itsy, bitsy, teeny, weeny, yellow-polka-dot-bikini part of me that wants to believe it's true. (It would kind of be the ultimate in recycling; rather than dumping souls, we'd just reuse them time and again.)

Often, I feel like I don't quite belong in the generation to which I was born... could my soul be longing for a past era? Or am I simply using the idea to deal with my own fears of what lies beyond this world?

Tell me... have you ever contemplated this notion of an "old" soul (or a "new" soul)?

And now, I need more diet soda...