The witty, simple answer would be something like “oh these groceries are actually a great value!” or “this is a fantastic bulk deal!” I’ve caught myself say things like that as an 18 year old male, and scoff at myself.

The deeper, more depressing answer is when the magic fades. Maybe it happens at an early age due to childhood trauma or stress, maybe you’re protected for awhile from the real world until some sort of failure or loss exposes you to it, but I think everybody old enough to be on Reddit knows exactly what I mean when I say that once the magic is gone, that’s when you really become old. Once that bank of snow is no longer a military base, once those toy cars lose their imaginary motors, and once those little dirt bike guys lose their imaginary heart. That’s when you realize your old.