| Welcome to middle age, rookie |
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By: BY MIKE PIRTLE Publisher/Editor
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Ace columnist Stephen Lewis hits the big 40 today.
Happy birthday, dude.
Go out, enjoy the sunshine, embrace life, kiss your youth goodbye.
Mr. Lewis’ lovely wife sent us the photo that accompanies this column. Stephen can remember it as his last hurrah. You see, until today Stephen was in the same age group as the young ladies since during the years 20-40 people are considered young.
Ah, youth. I remember it well. OK, I remember it some.
But, hey, my rookie middle-age friend, you now join a select group that includes this writer. We are both middle aged, separated by a mere, uh, well 17 years and some four months.
My slight experience allows me to tell you sincerely, it ain’t all bad. Here are some things to look forward to:
* As your hairline goes back, your waistline moves forward.
*You can still do anything you want, you just don’t want to. (Of course, being married, like most of us you would need to call and ask the wife if you want to anyway.
*You finally give up on the dream of dunking a basketball.
* Your back goes out more than you do.
* When you stand up, you have to do a quick inventory to make sure all your parts are ready to walk away as various pieces start having a tendency to fall asleep at odd moments. Soon you will too.
Shoot, Stephen, forget all that stuff.
Here’s the whole story.
You have a better credit rating that ever.
You probably won’t have to change diapers again for many years and then only occasionally as a granddad and you can probably avoid that.
You know who you are and what you are doing.
Being a parent always gets better and harder. One challenge replaces another. One source of delight succeeds another.
Think about it. How much fun was it to watch the Blue Raider game with your son last week?
You have a better idea of what is important, what is worth your attention and what merits totally ignoring.
Think about it. This time last year you weren’t famous citywide as a humor columnist.
Honestly, man, life since 40 has been as good as it gets for me. For every downside there’s been an upside. And, as I like to say, there’s no substitute for experience.
Sure, the body may hurt a bit more now and then, but you get smarter about avoiding hassles, jerks, things that might hurt you and things that waste your time.
You really are as young as you think you are, just smarter.
Rock on. (But you aren’t 20 anymore. Do you really want that second piece of birthday cake? Well, OK, I figured you would. Get it. It’s your birthday.)
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