All those clichés you hear and ignore from older relatives when you’re younger -- stop and smell the roses; enjoy the time while you have it -- are actually true.
I don’t know how I got to be this age. I swear I was 32 not that long ago; or at least 47.
But then I start to think about some of the signature moments in my life and realize that many of them didn’t happen just last month or even five years ago. Some of them occurred decades ago.
I first realized I was getting older last January while shaving. I was thinking about how busy work was going to be over the next few weeks and months and noted that my granddaughter’s birthday was coming up in early April, followed by mine. If she was going to be four that meant that I was going to be…63!
I dropped my razor in the sink.
How did that happen? After 63 comes 64 then – oh my God –
65!
I don’t feel any different.
I don’t look any different.
Right?Not really.
I’ve finally grown into my white hair, but there seems to be less of it. I used to religiously watch Jay Leno’s and before that Johnny Carson’s monologue before going to sleep. Now if I manage to not doze off before 10:00pm, I congratulate myself on staying up late.
I never got the fascination that people like my father-in-law had with Florida. He took great glee in calling us to report the current temperature and letting us know that everything – from the tomatoes to the cuisine at Costco – was better there than back home.
Now, after spending a few vacations in the Sunshine State, I understand what he was talking about – except for the food at Costco -- and watch the price of flights and hotels plotting the next time we can visit.
I’ve also noticed lately when talking with friends that we spend more time than we ever did discussing our various trips to the doctor, what medical tests we’ve recently endured, and the current status of our various nagging ailments.
As I get ever closer to officially being a "senior citizen," I'm adopting Mark Twain's philosophy that “age is an issue of mind over
matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
While I’m well aware that there are many more years behind
me than in front of me, I’m also lucky to be blessed with a wonderful family, good
health, and great friends.No matter what your age, who could ask for anything more?
