Getting Old Ramble

Quick thought:

You know what’s weird about getting older? Everything.

About six or seven years ago I was working in Newton, MA for a staffing company. My job allowed me to be on the road a lot traveling all over Massachusetts. There was a span of about a year or two where I would go to Grammie and Grampie’s house in Westwood for lunch. They used to enjoy it so much and sometimes I would stay for a good 3 or 4 hours. We mostly just talked.

This is about the same time I played a lot of golf with Grampie. Maybe 15 times one summer/fall we would arrive VERY early at “His” golf course and play 18. Afterwards we had a couple brews and dogs at the little 19th Hole bar. We had some great conversations throughout the rounds we played. I know that Grampie confided some stuff in me that he hadn’t told anyone else. He has called those times we spent together, “Precious.” I agree.

During one of these times, I remember drifting off into (but not away from) our conversation and there was an overwhelming moment were it felt as if I was hanging out with a friend. This 80 year old man was someone that I could relate to and had things in common with. Someone that I could joke with and that I could trust. As I was processing this I was kind of hit by a wave of realization. Grampie was just like me but his body and mind were slowly changing. It’s hard for me to put into words.

I know for sure that as we get older, we get wiser. Not from reading tons of books (but I’m sure that helps) or watching educational programming, but simply because we’re taking more and more “Reps” each day. The more shit you do, whether its right or wrong, the more you’re going to learn. Lots of times you’ll hear people say, “If I only knew then what I know now.”

I’m 33 now and I can feel my body getting a little. I have stretch well before I work out and sometimes getting out of bed isn’t as easy as it used to be. I can’t believe my parents are 60. 60 always seemed old to me, but then again, so has 30. I guess my point is, as you grow up and get older, remember that the adult figures in your life aren’t much different than you. They were your age at one point to but their body and mind have changed a bit. They still have the capacity to feel things as you do, and probably have similar outlooks and interests. When I was a teenager I never really gave adults a chance to advise me on much and I should have. It took me a long time to realize that my parents and others were right about a lot of things. Not everything, but more than I ever thought I would realize.

Maybe you guys will be more conscious of this than I was as you get older. It can’t hurt to try and make sense of different perspectives even if you don’t agree. Its important to rationalize the thoughts of others in conjunction with your own to make informed decisions or hypothesis; don’t be afraid to listen.