The Truth about Aging

One of the craziest things that happens when we get older, is the fact that we turn a certain age where we get to say "One of the craziest things that happens when you get older"🤣

I believe that I am of that age now where I get to reminisce on certain facts about my youth that the youth of today read in history books (how crazy is that). Like, I remember VHS tapes, Sony Walkman and Care Bears. Things like drinking out of the water hose, when tape could turn into a ball and be used as a toy, and driving stick shift. I remember TV shows like Saved By the Bell, Three's Company and Golden Girls. And artists like Prince were king, Madonna was Queen and Queen was Queen.

The same could be said about the generation before me and the generation before them and so on. You get the point.

With age does come wisdom. I certainly feel like I know things better today than I did when I was younger. I hope I am more wise (I certainly have the gray hairs to look like I am). Also with age comes one thing I didn't plan on, upgrades.

I've been in my current house now for over 11 years. It's a great home that was built in 2006, in a quiet neighborhood with great neighbors. But as things get older, they stop working. In the span of 6 months, my A/C unit gave out, my fence needs replacing, my dishwasher barely washes and my washer is acting up. On top of that, I have a 1999 Honda Accord that needs some TLC.

As quick as I am to notice these things go sour, I'm very slow at replacing it all (except for the A/C unit. I'm not messing with that). I'm that guy that likes to squeeze the last bit of toothpaste out of the tube. And when I can't squeeze it anymore, I cut it open and dip my toothbrush in there because there's still some good stuff left. So when it comes time to replace it, I like to see how long I can use it until I need to replace it.

Now, I'm not like that with everything, if my phone goes bad or gets scratches, I'm on the lookout for the next upgrade, if my computer gets slow, time to get a new one. Electronics are my kryptonite. But that got me thinking about how quick many of us are to get rid of the thing that is "OLD".

My mom is the queen of not getting rid of stuff. Maybe I get my inability to throw stuff away from her, but she's got a point to not being so quick to throw things away. however, to my mom that reads these blog posts, I say, that tie dye shirt from my elementary days that you got me and still wear, needs to go!

I often hear that the aging process is like wine, you only get better with age. I think that's a great saying, because it gives you the idea that life does not end the older we get. We just experience things differently. However, to me, aging is a process that is a lot like milk. The longer milk ages, the more sour it gets and goes bad. But if you cultivate it correctly and take it through a transformation process, you can make something new out of it like cheese or yogurt. Some even prefer it for baking as it makes cakes and biscuits taste better.

Aging, much like any product out there, has the opportunity to be new again. Just ask every teenage girl that is wearing mom jeans, or every Marvel fan who revived the Sony walkman from the dead when it was featured in Guardians of the Galaxy. All it takes is a little reinvention, some TLC and a different spin on the way things used to be and POOF, you have a new aged product.

And if you think I'm talking about technology, think again. I'm talking about YOU and ME and everyone else who thinks they are "OLD". This is the perfect opportunity to reinvent yourself and create something new out of the process that you have been in. You've aged perfectly for where you are today and that just so happens to be the place where everybody wants to be.

The biggest question now is, what am I going to transform myself into? How can I take this "milk" of a person and turn it into a fine cheese? Now that I now I can be anything at this point, what do I want to be? Let your imagination run wild.

And although those that redefine that process are in the limelight (Halle Berry, Demi Moore, Bruce Willis, Naomi Campbell etc.), you and I can do the same thing right in the comfort of our own living room.

Like a fine piece of perfectly aged Cheddar.

Wouldn't that be nice?

Cheers!

JG