Writer’s Rant
Jan. 12, 2025
“I’m Not As Young As I Used To Be”
Congratulations! You’ve made it. Another year has come and gone and you’re still on this planet. That’s the good news. But the bad news is, another year has come and gone….Now that’s depressing, especially at my age. When we are young, we can’t wait to be older. When we are old, we wish we were younger.
I’ve spoken with a few folks my age over the past year and surprisingly, many said they did not long for the old days nor had any desire to relive their youth. As to why, I have to speculate. Either they have had a good life and are very happy to be where they are today or they had a less than desirable childhood or a combination of both. In any case, I can only tell you what I know, from experience. I would love to relive my childhood. Not because it was particularly great, but because I have a lot of regrets. And not because I did anything wrong to regret, it’s just that I could have done so much more and maybe done differently. The problem is, I didn’t know then what I know now. So how could I possibly know to do things differently?
I have given in to the realization that at my age, I can’t do everything I used to do or want to do. It’s called, growing old gracefully. Walt Disney created a world that enables us to relive our youth, if only through our children and grand children. He is quoted as saying: “Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional,” which explains his (and our) endeavors to recapture our youth. He also said: “Today is the oldest you’ve ever been and the youngest you’ll ever be again…” Pragmatic, right?
Perhaps George Bernard Shaw said it best: “Youth is wasted on the young.” It’s so true. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, the main character is born old and grows younger. In that context, wouldn’t it have been better for us to be born with the wisdom and experience that we have now? Then, by the time we reach our youth, we would truly know what life has to offer.
In closing, let me just say, “Congratulations, you’ve made it!” and in anonymity, “May all your troubles last as long as your New Year’s resolutions.” Unless of course, you actually stick to them!
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