I’m a little early with this I suppose, but
in another year and a bit, I’m going to be 40 years old. I don’t consider myself old by any
means, however as I approach this benchmark age I can’t help but think about
the life experiences that have brought me to where I am today, and how my
perspective on life has changed through the years.
Basketball was such an important part of my
youth, and I remember running through the various drills during high school practice
and the feeling I got after dunking over the opposition like they were
yesterday. But that wasn’t
yesterday. My last game was nearly
20 years ago. I’ve barely touched
a basketball since. “Kids” who
weren’t even born yet at that time, are now themselves graduating from high school. It just kind of blows your mind when
you stop to think about it. Where
did the last 20 years go?
Every morning when I wake up now, I get out
of bed and hobble to the shower, working through the stiffness that has taken
control of my ankles. Multiple
severely sprained ankles during my basketball playing days, and 20 years tacked
on for good measure are surely to blame.
The stiffness goes away after about 15 minutes of moving around, but
still, it’s an undeniable sign of age.
Grey hairs that once freaked me out, no
longer even get a second look.
They’re there, I know it, and there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s just a matter of time before my
receding hairline takes care of that problem anyway.
My knees make weird noises sometimes when I
walk up the stairs. That’s
new. I’ve accepted the fact that I
wear glasses. Contact lenses are
still great for the rare occasion that I do anything remotely athletic, but
aren’t worth the hassle otherwise.
I am who I am, I like who I am, and if you don’t like me, that’s your
problem, not mine. I wear a tie 5
days a week. I know how to cook a
turkey now. Couldn’t say that 20
years ago.
If there’s garbage that has blown onto my
front yard, I notice that now. 20
years ago I never would have even thought about it, but now I want to hunt down
whichever inconsiderate neighbour didn’t have enough common sense to secure
their garbage on a windy garbage day, tie that garbage to a rock, and throw it
through their front window. That’s
what I want to do. What I actually
do however is leave it there for several days to see if it will blow off my
lawn and into someone else’s lawn, and if it hasn’t done so by the next garbage
day, I’ll pick it up and include it with my garbage, wondering why I hadn’t
just done that a week ago.
Kids seem dumber these days. I don’t understand them. They have so much, yet they appreciate
so little. They wear their clothes
funny. They expect things, but
aren’t prepared to earn them. Is
this really the generation I’m going to have to rely on to take care of me in
my golden years? That scares
me. How are they ever going to be
prepared for the “real world” when they’ve grown up being handed everything on
a silver platter, cannot be adequately punished for bad behaviour, and cannot
be given a failing grade in school even though they deserve it? That’s not real life. In my day things were very
different. Oh Jesus, I just said
“In my day…”, that’s not good.
I am no longer immortal, and though I plan
to be here for at least another 40 years, I know that someday there won’t be
another tomorrow. I’ve lost close
family members, but I’m still here, so I better make the most of it. If what they taught me as a child in
Sunday School was correct, I’ll see them again someday. I truly hope so. I’m thankful for what I have, not
remorseful over what I’ve lost. People
talk about saving for retirement at my age. Save what for retirement? Money?
Travelling? Retirement is a
tomorrow that may or may not come.
Of course I’ll plan ahead just in case, but I’m here now. Now is what counts. If I can do it now, I will. If I can have fun now, I will.
I watch the news now, intentionally, and
actually pay attention. I don’t
have a job, I have a career. Staying
awake past 11pm is sometimes a chore, and sleeping in on a weekend past 9am is
a rare treat. I don’t count how
many beers I’ve had in order to brag about it, I count how many beers I’ve had
to make sure I make the right decision when it’s time to go home. You will not find any references to my
after-school job at Valu-Mart on my resume. All-inclusive resort vacations no longer interest me, I want
to see the world, not the bottom of a cup. I don’t call anyone “Mr.” anymore.
As a teenager we think we have the world figured
out, but the truth is, we don’t know jack! We reach our mid-20’s and realize the world is a much bigger
place than we ever imagined. In
our 30’s our eyes finally open, and we learn to understand just how little we
actually knew back then. We laugh
at our former selves, not with regret, but with humility. When we reach 40 we have a new respect for life. We’ve experienced a lot
by now, and are getting ready to enter the prime years of our business careers. Is this the age when we finally get a
handle on life, and what it means to be alive? I think I have a pretty good idea, but then again, maybe I
don’t. I imagine there’s a 60 year
old somewhere reading this laughing at me, thinking “Nice try kid, come speak
to me in 20 years”. I look forward
to seeing what the next 20 years will bring, but I’m in no hurry to get there. I’m having too much fun right now, and really, isn't that the point?
Another good story Dave,you should write a book.
ReplyDeleteNice one! I enjoyed reading this...just as I have the others!:)
ReplyDelete