Young at Heart

Believe it or not, most of the time I don’t feel old. I can read a calendar. I know that I will soon turn 67. But in my heart I don’t feel terribly different about myself and the world than I did when I was 40. If I want to be totally honest about this I would admit that there are many times when my reactions to the world are virtually identical to what they were when I was 17. I still react to violent thunderstorms with the same mixture of wonder and fear. Pretty women—especially my wife—still turn my head. I still have to fight the impulse to punch rude people in the face. None of this is to say that I never feel old. On the contrary, anyone out there around my age will understand the most common triggers.

- When you see a picture of a really old man on Facebook, then realize that you graduated high school with him.

- That very first time you discover that you can no longer eat spicy food after 8 o’clock.

- When you see one of your favorite baseball players who has been out of the public eye for a long time and you wonder what the hell happened to him because he looks awful—only to discover that he’s younger than you.

- Those melancholy moments when you’d like to ask your Mom a question, but you realize that she has been dead for 13 years.

- That first moment after a 4 hour drive when you attempt to exit your vehicle only to discover that your bones, muscles and joints now belong to an alien from outer space

However, these moments of confronting the reality of growing old pale in comparison to the single most, “God, I’m old” moment of all time…watching the Super Bowl halftime show.

My wife and my sister texted each other about this last night, where my wife confessed to the fact that this was the very first such halftime extravaganza where she had never heard of the artist, Mr. Kendrick Lamar. Neither had I. My sister shared that she had never felt older in her entire life. I watched without comment or reaction, realizing that I was not the target audience, so my opinion was unnecessary.

But, despite last night’s brutal reminder that I’m not getting any younger, I still intend to live the rest of my life looking forward and not backward. I will strive to nurture as much youthful optimism as I possibly can. I will search for the positives and avoid the temptation to pine for what is passed. The kids who are following us will need all the help we can give them.

I am reminded of the lyrics of an old song which seems appropriate…

Fairytales can come true, it can happen to you

If you’re young at heart

For it’s hard, you will find, to be narrow of mind

If you’re young at heart

And if you should survive to a hundred and five

Look at all you’ll derive out of being alive

And here is the best part, you have a head start

If you are among the very young at heart