Unfortunately, my wife and I are at a point where we only physically see our sons once or twice a year. During our Christmas vacation this year, one of my sons rather casually mentioned that my eyebrows had quite a bit of gray hair in them. The comment went something like this, "sooo we're doing gray eyebrows now huh". I laughed it off, but of course I go look and immediately got the tweezers out, but quickly realized if I pulled out all the gray hairs, I would have no eyebrows!
It's all fun and games until you wake up one morning and realize you're an old dude. I was 19 yrs old the last time the Dawgs (Georgia Bulldogs for the uninitiated) won the national championship in 1980. I was young, idealistic, and thought there would be many more. But we see how that turned out, they didn't win it again until 2021!! It's been 41 years and at this rate, even if I'm still around another 41 years, I may not be able to see or hear the next one! When I complain to my kids about my aches and pains, I'm often met with "you're Dad and you're not supposed to get old" I just remind them that while Oz never gave the Tin Man nothing he didn't already have, meaning a heart; Tin Man really needed that WD-40 from Dorothy to loosen up his creaky old knees and elbows. (See the Wizard of Oz if you're reading this and under 40--you'll get it)
My wife may have taken a drink out of the fountain of youth, she still looks (and acts) much like she did when I first met her in college in the late 70s. But she hasn't been kind enough to share a single sip with me, heck, just like the checkbook, she won't even tell me where it is!! When I find myself looking for my iPhone after what seems like hours, Father time finally taps me on the shoulder and tells me to stop looking under the sofa and check my left hand. There is much debate on what goes first i.e. your knees, your hips, your mind, your sight, or one of your other senses. But it really doesn't matter because rest assured it's all like a Hank Aaron homer to deep center at the old Atlanta Fulton County Stadium--going, going, gone!
I know getting old is a frame of mind and age is just a number; but I have to throw something old out of my brain to remember something new, and the numbers don't lie! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the time space continuum is moving forward, well maybe that does require a little rocket science (or some other type of science), but aging is real Man. I'm hyperactive and have never been able to sit still very long, but these days I find myself choosing a long nap over a long hike more and more. When you find yourself making similar choices, "there's your sign"