Feel the Look the Feel
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I came to the realization this past summer that I'm getting old. I became 59, and every preconceived idea of aging I had accumulated up to this point played on me.
I noticed subtle differences in the way I was being treated by people I work with. Where once I was the one everyone had to have at the party, it's now wondered if I might find such things too different. I might even keel over from a heart attack, you never know. I feel the gentle, almost loving perceptions held for the older generation. I catch a glimpse of myself in store windows and notice the paunch that isn't quite so easy to hide anymore.
For a while it bothered me. Until I realized that I was having a mid life crisis about 20 years later than when I was supposed to have it. And that's because up till now I've been too busy living to be concerned about it. So if I'm late with my crisis, maybe I'm late in all areas of the aging process.
Hope springs to life.
I snowboard. How many other 59 year olds do that?
My wife is 8 years younger than me. How cool is that?
I don't dress in Mr. Rogers sweaters or let my belt find its own place 5 inches below my waist in front while the rear is the same distance above it. And I wear my jeans a long distance below my armpits.
And then there's my music. And here it gets just plain lonely. I share my music tastes with my kids and their friends. My nephew is quite a good songwriter in a band that you'll be hearing more of soon I'm sure. We share musical tastes. But my friends! Well, for example, one wanted me to try out this great artist by the name of Mahalia Jackson. Ok, apologies to Mahalia Jackson fans, but if you know my love for Prog Rock, then you know she doesn't play on the same stage. I've given some friends a tour of my vinyl collection and played a few digital works for them, and received a polite "that's great John."
We were at a church gathering a few weeks back during their fall program kickoff, and I couldn't help but see the ad there for activities for the "over 50" crowd.
Carpet bowling.
Carpet Bowling!!!! Jeez folks. 50 isn't old. 80's not old, depending. And there's the rub.
And so it goes. I may look old, but I don't have to feel it, and if I feel young I may even keep looking it. I hope so anyway, despite some of my perceptions.
Well, I need to find an appropriate tune to accompany this diatribe, but if I upload now it degrades my wife's internet latency and spoils her raids in World of Warcraft. (My kid's friends love that. She has 3 level 70's and is currently finishing Black Temple, for those of you who do the WOW thing and understand what I just said)So I'll go with a Rhapsody selection even though I can't hear it cuz I'm Canajun.
In the meantime, let's all keep dancin'.
Comments (7)
John (nice to know!)
I love this post. I'm not quite at 59 yet--I'm 34--but spending my days with 8th graders and college students every day shows me the age difference. I notice things--my8th graders wear Nirvana T-shirts, and I realize that Nirvana to them is like Led Zeppelin to me. I have to say things like "back when I was your age we didn't have CDs" only to realize the CD has alreadey become antiquated and outdated.
But in all that it doesn't bother me, because I refuse to feel or act "old." I am who I am, listen to music my students find unlistenable (not because it's old-fashioned, but because it's wierd, something I alway sfind very gratifying), I talk video games with my students . . . I refuse to think of myself in those terms.
Great post.
And you are????
Chuck. Nice to meetcha!
just don't buy a Mazda Miata!! geeesh, every guy at my office that turns 60 seems to buy one of those dang cars ... gaaaaaahhh!! can't they buy Corvettes like the 60-somethings in California??!! LOL :)
No chance there, that's for sure. I'm a known speedster, er, speeder. Got pulled over one night cuz I was drag racing with a kid who, it turns out, had just got his license and had his dad's car first night out.
The lecture and ticket were well deserved. But the racer lives on.
Excellent post. You are only as old as you feel. I will be turning 57 later this month but that doesn't stop me from during the things I really enjoy (mainly playing ice hockey). I play in an over 45 league and a few years ago we had one player that was 90 playing and he played up until he died. Which was a few days before we had our annual end of season banquet. So you may be getting older but that doesn't necessarly make you old.
So here are the lyrics to that Byds tune. And keep on rockin'.
Lyrics | Turn! Turn! Turn! lyrics
You've only got a couple of years on me. The comment about age I most remember from MOG was from some teenie Mogger who posted, announcing she was leaving MOG because it was boring. When I chided her with a little sarcasm, she replied" You're 56! Hurry up and DIE already!".
And at that, I took my age off of my MOG profile.....