When Did I Start Aging

I was 20 About Fifteen Minutes Ago

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When I was in kindergarten I remember being taught modern songs at music time. We sang Simon & Garfunkel and Cat Stevens and our suburban parents, not hippies themselves but hippie affected, smiled and nodded their heads.

Now we’re in our middle age, faced with the challenge of growing old gracefully. We walk a thin line between anti-aging creams (which used to be called "wrinkle creams" and now have code words like Brightener) and complete plastic overhaul. We wish to remain active but the same guy who might have dreaded getting sore muscles now fears fractures and needing replacement parts.

Maybe every generation hopes to somehow age better. Not just with how they look but with how meaningful their lives can continue to be.

I'm not quite old. I'm 56. I was 20 about 15 minutes ago so in my mind words like Old, Older, and Kind Of Older do not apply to me.

Mysteriously, what I think of as "old" continues to be a bigger number as I get older while the group I regard as "kids" now includes teenagers and people in their twenties. I like to think of this as a New Math which I have mastered, effortlessly.

Everyone decides how they want to age. Myself, I want to feel good, look good, and not become a jerk.