It’s official. I’m getting old. There’s a few ways I know. 1) I have three strands of white hair. Two are on the right side of my head, one’s on the left. Maybe it’s the stress of my job. Remember how George Bush looked when he took office compared to when he left? Same for Barack Obama. 2) Things that used to bore me and seem completely irrelevant are now a little bit interesting. For example, if I hear an ad on the radio about retirement planning, my ears perk up. This could be because I listen to a little bit of AM talk radio, specifically a station that caters to retiree-aged males. I also listen to NPR more than ever, as inflation and rising sea levels hit closer to home than they did 20  years ago. The economy matters more and I tune in to hear what experts have to say about things that can affect my personal finances. Also, it wouldn’t take much of a sea level rise to wipe out my hometown. 3) I go to bed earlier than ever. 8:15ish is wind down time. I fall asleep within about 5 minutes of lying there. It’s worse in the fall. 3a) I have to get up in the middle of the night to urinate. 3b) I sometimes wake up really early and can’t go back to sleep. This is often because I’m excited about the day ahead (most older people I’ve talked to aren’t sure why they can’t sleep. 3c) I fall asleep easily if I sit down to read. Books and articles carry the weight of Ambien, even if I’m intrigued by the reading material. My eyelids become cinder blocks. 4) Medical stuff matters more. I’m grossly aware of the fact that I’ll be 35 in the near future. That puts me at high risk should I become pregnant. As a medical professional I also know that with some risk factors, this is the time to keep an eye out for signs of germinating chronic illnesses. 5) I catch myself saying “remember when.” My (also aging) husband and I regularly discuss the joys of our younger years: pre-COVID events with friends, the days before cell phones when we actually sat with and talked with our co-workers at lunch, the days of being a kid and going to Blockbuster or another store to rent a movie. Back then we used VCRs to rewind movies prior to returning them. Also, it seemed like people weren’t so on edge back then. People didn’t drive so crazy. 6) My joints crack in new ways. The latest is my shoulders. When I prop myself up in the morning to get out of bed, there’s an unmistakable popping noise that sounds like something is breaking. One night while simply rolling over in bed, my body produced a snapping sound, akin to a feeble branch breaking in two. “What was that?!,” Richard asked. “That was my hip,” I replied. My Achilles tendon likes to make noises too, which is odd since it’s not a joint. 7) I find myself thinking about the next generation a fair amount. I realize I’m in a different place than teenagers and early 20-somethings. Sometimes I feel like I’m in another world. I pray they have wisdom. I hope America and the world in general are going in a good direction. It would make sense that as humans we’d progress with each generation but that doesn’t seem to be the case. 8) I’ve been around long enough to see things change. I still drive a truck that was made in the year 2000 (another sign I’m old: I was around for Y2K). It’s obvious when I’m on the interstate that all the new vehicles are bigger and advertised as more glamorous. But I prefer the smaller and boxy Jeep Cherokees, the rugged and antiquated Ford Broncos, the PT Cruiser (the cream of the crop when I was in high school), and even the proverbial station wagon – no screens or other digital fixings. Just simplicity. 9) This is a tough one: I realize how much I don’t know. I’m reminded of this at my job on a regular basis, at work when interacting with certain people, and when listening to talk radio and NPR. Sometimes I feel like I don’t know anything. Some people have been around longer than I have. 10) I have grace for my parents. As I myself ponder having a child, I have so much gratitude for the sacrifices my parents made for me. I’m now quick to realize that they did so much for me. I can’t resent them for not wanting to take me to the mall on a Friday night after they’d been working all day. I can understand why they couldn’t make every basketball game. I get why they didn’t buy me a pony. Or a snake. But they told me to focus on school and gave me every opportunity to do just that. They taught me to be a human. I get that they’re not perfect. And that’s okay. I’m not either. 12) I hear or see commercials for retirement communities and imagine myself living there. Swimming, board games, cards, outings, gourmet meals. Sounds like a blast. I look forward to it. 13) I remember when Britney Spears got started. I heard “Oops…I Did It Again” on the radio yesterday (not on talk radio or NPR, mind you). That song is now 20 years old. I was also around when all the boy bands (NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees) were a thing. 14) I care less about what people think. This applies to fashion, the car I drive, my hobbies.

So there it is. I’m getting old. But it’s not so bad. In many ways it’s much better than being young. I’m happy I still have hair, even it’s en route to turning white. And I’m happy to learn about the climate and the economy – interesting topics (because I don’t know everything). I’m blessed to have a life that’s better than my dreams. I’m happy to have reasons to work out and to still be able to work out (for my health). I’m grateful for all the fun I’ve had up to this point – and better yet, that I can remember it. All the friends, dogs, fun. My amazing husband. My joints still work even though they pop. I hope to help the next generation – through research, education, health. Genuine prayer. And maybe through raising a kid of my own. I’m sure he or she will teach me quite a bit as well. I do look forward to my next newer vehicle, although I plan to get one that is old enough to not have a screen. I still have a lot to learn. I look forward to taking a cruise with my parents this fall. They’re in their early 70s now. I want to relish every fleeting moment with them. Another stark reality of getting old: you realize time is vapor. New music awaits. As does adventure. Getting old has its perks. ~