Yesterday was Lex's 34th birthday.
We generally aren't allowed to mention it.
But, because I'm me, I don't let that stop me. So on Sunday, when I was poking him about turning the corner on Middle Age Street1, he said, "I've never expected to live past 40 so I'm well beyond middle age."
Huh?
That got me to thinking...Lex is not the first person who has said that to me over the course of my 37 years. Hell! Even I've said it in my out loud voice. You know, that pre-occupation only the young seem to have about, well, dying young?
Well guess what, folks. Only the good die young. And, by that reasoning, we're a bunch of us going to be around a long long longlonglong time. Including Lex.
That's not the point.
The point is that why do we, as youngsters, believe we're either going to live forever or barely at all? Is it because when we're young and it takes such a dramatically long time for each birthday to come around, time seems like it's moving in slow motion and how could we possibly be expected to live that many years at a crawl? Is it because the "aged" disgusts us and we can't imagine life when looks begin to fail us and aches begin to hinder us? I dunno.
But it's a stupid, childish folly.
Because now here I am at 37...literally knocking on 40's door and thinking huh...life's just getting good.
1: You know, because no matter if you're older or younger than I, I will poke fun at you as you get older.
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