An Old Guy Saturday?

I needed an oil change and a tire rotation for my car and had already purchased a certificate for this online. I saw that the shop was listed as opening at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, so my plan was to be there just after opening to get out as quickly as possible. I usually like to have lazy Saturday mornings, but I was ready to get the auto work done if I got up in time.

I did get up in time and headed out to the shop. Much to my surprise, it actually opened at 7:30 a.m. There was a small group of guys not much unlike me in age and appearance who were sitting at tables and reading magazines, waiting for their cars to be ready. I dunno -- had I stumbled onto a secret society of mature gentlemen just waiting for me to join them?

Since it was going to take longer than I planned to get my work done, I called my wife so that she could meet me at a nearby restaurant for breakfast. I walked there and got there first. As I went inside and looked to my right, there was a table of guys not much unlike me in age and appearance. Throughout the restaurant, there were more and more tables of people where it looked like I could easily fit in.

Had it really happened? Somewhere along the way in living my life, had I really gotten old?

Words like old and young are certainly relative terms. When I was in grade school, my aunts and uncles all looked really old to me. It is difficult to believe that I am now older than they were at that time.

I work in an environment that deals with many people in the 18-25 age range. Sometimes I reference events that happened before they were born, yet are ingrained in my mind as just part of my life experiences. But they happened before these people were born. Ugh.

I had worn a beard for approximately 30 years, but shaved it off for a number of reasons, including the fact that I couldn't bear to see so damn much white on my face. Shaving it may have helped my peace of mind, but the growing number of white and silver strands in the hair on my head confirm that I did not somehow magically stop the aging process.

No need to look at the back and top of my head in a mirror. I know that little bald spot is there. Thankfully I can't see it most of the time and forget that it is there. I would prefer to live some parts of my life in a fantasy world.

The online alias I have used for several years is lightning36. Perhaps it is fitting that in my mind I am still really about 36 years old. That is my story and I am sticking to it.

Note: My apologies to all the old guys who are reading this. May we always remain young at heart.