"No, I can't hang out tonight..."

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This is when you start feeling older.

It's the moment I hate because I want to say, "Yes" to every possible hangout.

And I don't want to feel like I've lost it... whatever it is.

But there is a huge lesson of limitation and maturity to be learned here:

I Have to Take Care of Myself More to Be Able to Take Care of Others More.

In college I could go off caffeine, less than 5 hours of sleep, and no alone time for days, 

if not weeks, before I crashed.  And I still managed to get good grades!

But as I take on more responsibility, I see that how I care for myself affects others. 

How we care for ourselves affects our work and those we love.

 I’m having to come to grips with reality.  That for me to take care of others I have to take care of myself… 

(ie. sleep, restful time with God, exercise, and saying no at times)   

…somehow I survived college and my early twenties without doing a good job at this, but I'm having to change as I take on more natural responsibility to love God and others well.

There are some effects of "growing older" that we can avoid, but this is not one of them.  Unless you decide to avoid maturing at all costs, life will require a growth curve of you learning: 

 I Have to Take Care of Myself More to Be Able to Take Care of Others More.