Am I Getting Old?
OK so maybe some of you latter 30somethings or early 40somethings have already experienced this, but do you ever feel like you're getting older? Not so much the body, that felt like it was older when I was still in my 20s. Lately I've been wondering if this disconnect I feel with popular culture and youth is a sign of things to come.
For most of my career I've felt quite hip (that's a sign right there I'm old). I've worked in radio and television most of my life and found great pride in staying up with the latest music, the latest fashion trends, the latest big thing. Until recently, when I saw teenage kids on MTV or movies, I could still (insanely) imagine myself in their shoes.
Today I saw a young Private (a Private is the most junior rank in the Army) and this kid looked as young as my sons. He probably wasn't far older than them. I don't see Privates everyday in my particular position so I was quite shocked and wondered if I ever looked that young. I then went online and started looking at the top songs on the charts this week and had probably only heard of 3 or 4 of the top 10. There was a time when I knew the top 100 songs on the charts in every genres. This leads me to only one conclusion, I am indeed getting old.
Men do the whole aging thing different than women. I think women are far more keenly in touch with their age because so much of a woman's life tends to be tied to her physical appearance. Unfortunately, women have to contend with the young pretty thing that just got hired and is getting all the attention in the office. Men don't really have to deal with those pressures unless they're male models or exotic dancers I suppose.
In a gym, a woman sees a more fit woman walk by and more times than not (this is what I've been told), the thought that crosses their mind is "look at that little B#@%". When a guy sees a more fit guy in the gym, he usually thinks "damn, I need to do more sit-ups" or even a quick high-five to the fit guy. We men don't "get it" until one day we wake up and we're in our 40s and we can no longer deny that kids look like "kids" and we can no longer actually see ourselves in them. We look down and wonder where our once muscular body went with amazement, as if it was stolen overnight. We wake up from our self-delusional dream state and it's almost like in the movie the Matrix where Neo finds out his world didn't really exist and he was not who he thought he was (I can't believe I just quoted a movie...there's proof right there).
In my inner reflection I have figured out two things, first women are far more astute about this aging thing than we men are. Two, it's all downhill from here. Somebody turn on the 80s channel and permanently affix my television to the TV Land network where I can watch reruns of Sanford and Son and Welcome Back Carter.
Senility take me away. :-)
For most of my career I've felt quite hip (that's a sign right there I'm old). I've worked in radio and television most of my life and found great pride in staying up with the latest music, the latest fashion trends, the latest big thing. Until recently, when I saw teenage kids on MTV or movies, I could still (insanely) imagine myself in their shoes.
Today I saw a young Private (a Private is the most junior rank in the Army) and this kid looked as young as my sons. He probably wasn't far older than them. I don't see Privates everyday in my particular position so I was quite shocked and wondered if I ever looked that young. I then went online and started looking at the top songs on the charts this week and had probably only heard of 3 or 4 of the top 10. There was a time when I knew the top 100 songs on the charts in every genres. This leads me to only one conclusion, I am indeed getting old.
Men do the whole aging thing different than women. I think women are far more keenly in touch with their age because so much of a woman's life tends to be tied to her physical appearance. Unfortunately, women have to contend with the young pretty thing that just got hired and is getting all the attention in the office. Men don't really have to deal with those pressures unless they're male models or exotic dancers I suppose.
In a gym, a woman sees a more fit woman walk by and more times than not (this is what I've been told), the thought that crosses their mind is "look at that little B#@%". When a guy sees a more fit guy in the gym, he usually thinks "damn, I need to do more sit-ups" or even a quick high-five to the fit guy. We men don't "get it" until one day we wake up and we're in our 40s and we can no longer deny that kids look like "kids" and we can no longer actually see ourselves in them. We look down and wonder where our once muscular body went with amazement, as if it was stolen overnight. We wake up from our self-delusional dream state and it's almost like in the movie the Matrix where Neo finds out his world didn't really exist and he was not who he thought he was (I can't believe I just quoted a movie...there's proof right there).
In my inner reflection I have figured out two things, first women are far more astute about this aging thing than we men are. Two, it's all downhill from here. Somebody turn on the 80s channel and permanently affix my television to the TV Land network where I can watch reruns of Sanford and Son and Welcome Back Carter.
Senility take me away. :-)
Comments
Post a Comment