It’s popular to talk about age as if it’s nothing more than a number. An annoying negative thought that a little positive psychology can eradicate. Or a character flaw for the self-help aisle to address.
You generally hear that kind of talk among boomers and the occasional Gen-Xer. I mean, what the hell do millennials know about aging? They’re practically children.
But I digress.
Youth is never aware of its youth. We only become aware of age as it advances to the point where we can no longer do what we used to do, at least not as effortlessly or painlessly as before.
Take it from me, the original Peter Pan kid; age is not just a number any more than the age of a computer, a classic Bordeaux or your loyal pooch is just a number.
No living thing has conquered age. Ever.
To deny that is foolish and potentially dangerous. At least that’s what the orthopedic surgeons who make a living keeping my parts moving keep telling me.
That’s not opinion. It’s human biology.
Don’t get me wrong. I am human. And when I hear the words “I’m too old for this shit” come out of my mouth it does sting a little.
The reflection I see in the mirror every morning does not match my self image. Not even close. And I’m well known for childish antics and overdoing it, whatever it happens to be that week.
Which is exactly the point. I know of what I speak.
And trying to run a tech startup and manage a mountain property amidst a global pandemic, racial violence and California wildfires has proven to be a handful for an old fart like me.
Never mind that second book sitting at 400+ pages just waiting to be edited down to something your average everyday reader can get through before age-related ocular degeneration occurs.
I mean, the manuscript ain’t gonna edit itself.
We may actually end up unloading this place and downsizing. That would be a sad day. Then again, Kim and I are known for lack of follow through when it comes to that sort of thing.
All I know is, summers used to be a lot more fun and a lot less work. I really am getting too old for this shit.