Sometimes, growing older isn't always a good thing. We find ourselves remembering the past and those who've gone before us, leaving scars too big to mend. We look in the looking glass and smile a crooked smile at the face staring back at us, but can't be, as we aren't that old, are we? It's said youth is wasted on the young.
Growing older has no pause button we can turn on and off; it keeps on running until it just stops when we realize there is no going back. What we did in our younger years carved the path we follow today, and we hope we made a difference in the scheme of things. We hope our counsel has worth, as those we taught passed our knowledge on, never to be forgotten but admired.
Growing older finds us listening more than we speak, trying to grasp new technologies that often feel lost on us, and sitting quietly with a painted-on face. It's always been a mystery to me how an eight-year-old can navigate complex topics on complex devices. I remember when, back in my younger days, children learned from parents and teachers what we needed to know, and receiving a high school diploma was a major accomplishment.
To me, growing older meant staying mentally strong and physically challenged, and walking on a treadmill could end you. When growing old, the medications you take every day outnumber the days themselves, and you panic when trying to remember if you lost count and skipped one, which would haunt you all day long.
On the bright side of age, you have plenty of alone time to browse old photographs, and you stop to stare at one particular photo and relive the day it was taken. It amazes me that my memories still want to come out and play. Don't be fooled into believing eighty is the new forties, as that will only speed up your final destination.
Growing older can be a memorable time in your later years if you allow it to be. Just don't ever challenge your grandchild to a video game; they will smoke you every time. Don't feel left out of conversations; nod and smile like you understand everything, when in reality you're deep in your memories, trying to remember whether you shut off the stove and turned out the lights.
Growing older finds us listening more than we speak, trying to grasp new technologies that often feel lost on us, and sitting quietly with a painted-on face. It's always been a mystery to me how an eight-year-old can navigate complex topics on complex devices. I remember when, back in my younger days, children learned from parents and teachers what we needed to know, and receiving a high school diploma was a major accomplishment.
To me, growing older meant staying mentally strong and physically challenged, and walking on a treadmill could end you. When growing old, the medications you take every day outnumber the days themselves, and you panic when trying to remember if you lost count and skipped one, which would haunt you all day long.
On the bright side of age, you have plenty of alone time to browse old photographs, and you stop to stare at one particular photo and relive the day it was taken. It amazes me that my memories still want to come out and play. Don't be fooled into believing eighty is the new forties, as that will only speed up your final destination.
Growing older can be a memorable time in your later years if you allow it to be. Just don't ever challenge your grandchild to a video game; they will smoke you every time. Don't feel left out of conversations; nod and smile like you understand everything, when in reality you're deep in your memories, trying to remember whether you shut off the stove and turned out the lights.
Mike 2026
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