As a child of the 'Duck & Cover' Cold War (we had missile drills when I was in 1st and 2nd grade, scary stuff for a little boy that just came to school after watching 'Captain Kangaroo'), I honestly thought I'd one day look up, there'd be a huge flash, and that would be it. That I've lived to 65 is a surprise to me, really. Although, there's still time . . . .
I would not trade Me At This Age for that angry young man, full of piss and vinegar and raging hormones (although, I would second David Crosby's remark that I came along 'after the Pill and before AIDS'), with a short temper, not much willingness to listen to the older and wiser, and the attention span of a hamster on speed. Today, I have far more empathy, occasionally even the patience of an oyster, and I know what really matters, and the great majority of things . . . . that just don't.
The only thing I dislike at this age is living long enough to have lost so many people in my life; when you're young, seems like only the very old or a rare random accident is the reason for losing the relatively few I lost at that age. Otherwise, I seem to have lived long enough to finally know me, appreciate the good parts, and to humbly try and touch up the parts that still need some work. I can finally look in the mirror and recognize that man.
