When I was younger, I used to think people 40 and over were old.
Back in fourth grade, some of my friends and I put on a band concert at our house for our parents and anyone over the age of 40 paid the senior fee.
We didn’t know any better.
Looking back, it’s pretty funny.
The concert was a blast, though. I think we had two trumpets, a trombone, and a drummer.
Don’t hate. It was 1987. Different times back then.
These days, memories like those are simply that – a memory.
And if that concert was today, I’d be paying the senior fee.
Sheesh.
Last month, my wife and I celebrated 20 years together. How she has put up with me that long, I don’t know, but I always say I married out of my league.
Twenty years may not seem like a long time, and we had our 17-year wedding anniversary last October, but there are times it still feels like we are dating and just enjoying each other’s company and tuning out the negativity the world has been throwing at us all the past two years.
We have both been struggling with the fact our oldest only has a year and a half left of high school.
We look back at old photos and think they were just yesterday, but then the time stamp says “2013” and we just sulk.
I’ll be 44 in June and most days, I feel – and, as my wife will attest, act – like I am 19 or 20.
Then, there are the two days a week I go to physical therapy for my hand (possible carpal tunnel syndrome?) and I am the youngest patient there by about 30 years.
No joke.
Yeah, those days make me feel old.
My graying hair is also a way to make me realize I graduated high school 26 years ago, but I tend to blame the hair issue on raising three kids with a houseful of pets, if I am being totally honest.
In a nutshell, yeah, age is just a number. There are lots of cliches out there about only being as old as you feel. Most days, I feel like I am in my 20s. Those are the days I like to focus on.
Maybe our kids will host a band concert for us. Think we’ll get a senior discount? I sure hope so!
— Matt Mackinder