I Scare Myself
I turn 59 today, although the plan is not to celebrate until next weekend, when my kids come home from the various colleges.
Single sentence paragraph aside, I've found that the most profound thing about growing older is looking in the mirror. Frankly, I scare myself. White hair, lines, age, and that's just my beard. But seriously, I look--more or less--fifty-nine, and that's what's scary, but in a
good way.
I don't feel any different now, than I did at thirty-nine. Yeah, back then I was a buffo Navy diver and I could leap tall buildings, and run for miles. But I can still jump (not as high) and still run (not nearly as far), and the crazy things that I loved then, i.e. my wife, three daughters, God, friends, silly games, football, toy soldiers, The Plimsouls, real fast cars without fenders, beer, trashy science fiction novels, Def Leppard, and the Philadelphia Phillies, I still love now. In other words, I still feel the same at fifty-nine as I did at thirty-nine, and if the choice is to feel fifty-nine, or look fifty-nine, I'll take looking older any day of the week.
See you tomorrow.
Single sentence paragraph aside, I've found that the most profound thing about growing older is looking in the mirror. Frankly, I scare myself. White hair, lines, age, and that's just my beard. But seriously, I look--more or less--fifty-nine, and that's what's scary, but in a
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| Family picture. No Photoshopping involved. Honest. |
I don't feel any different now, than I did at thirty-nine. Yeah, back then I was a buffo Navy diver and I could leap tall buildings, and run for miles. But I can still jump (not as high) and still run (not nearly as far), and the crazy things that I loved then, i.e. my wife, three daughters, God, friends, silly games, football, toy soldiers, The Plimsouls, real fast cars without fenders, beer, trashy science fiction novels, Def Leppard, and the Philadelphia Phillies, I still love now. In other words, I still feel the same at fifty-nine as I did at thirty-nine, and if the choice is to feel fifty-nine, or look fifty-nine, I'll take looking older any day of the week.
See you tomorrow.
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