day sixty-four - getting old
I’ve been a grumpy old bastard for years, sitting on my back porch, waving my fist at the sky. But soon, in many peoples eyes, I’ll have the age to match. I’ve got one of those ‘landmark’ birthdays. The Big Four Oh - as thought the last part is saying “Oh. Sorry, I didn’t realise you were so old”. (which is actually an exact quote from someone whom I told my age). While this did take me back a little, I haven’t really ever felt old.
Sure, physically I’ve put my body through a fair bit of work and injuries over the years (to the point where my knees should be meteorologists, and my hips occasionally make a sound not unlike an old wheelbarrow over cobbles), but it’s gotten me by, and I know that, with work, care and exercise, it’ll be get me through the next 40.
Mentally, I’ve tried to think progressively and flexibly, eschewing old beliefs I have found to be false, disproven science taught long ago, and thinking ahead for what world will be left for the coming generations.
Still, I’m certainly not getting any younger, and there’s so much yet to do… 40 is a decent start to the innings, but there have been quite a few plays and misses, a dropped catch in the deep when I was in the 30’s, hit in the head in the 38th over and you’d have to say the form in unconventional,
The concept of a mid-life crisis is thick in our culture - the all-too familiar trope of the new shiny red sports car and old leather jacket. It’s where I got the idea for the name “Kilt-Life Crisis”. Wearing a kilt for a year seemed a better, healthier and a far more positive way to do a mid-life crisis than endanger the public with be behind the wheel
New Kilt Life Crisis daily driver? + =
I’m proud to be the age I am, whatever that may be. Proud to have made it this far. Proud to have kept going when times were really tough. And when each day produces its struggles, but they turn to weeks, and months, it can put a different slant on the numbers that often accompany and influence our identity. I feel I’ve earned every year -every celestial revolution.
When we are born is entirely out of our control. So to judge someone on their age seems as preposterous as a child choosing their birthdate. Many people are having a hard enough time with everything else without piling on a a stigma about their age. Thinking like this not only releases you from judging people of any age, but it also means you don’t have to judge yourself for your age either.
Kilt of the Day - Sport Kilt McKay Tartan Works Kilt
Soundtrack of the day - When I’m Sixty Four - The Beatles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCTunqv1Xt4
Old Man - Neil Young
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An2a1_Do_fc
Back Porch - The Presidents Of The United States Of America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_aAitxwrjo
Link of the day - Experiences of ageism and the mental health of older adults
Anthony Lyons, Beatrice Alba, Wendy Heywood, Bianca Fileborn, Victor Minichiello, Catherine Barrett, Sharron Hinchliff, Sue Malta & Briony Dow (2018) Experiences of ageism and the mental health of older adults, Aging & Mental Health, 22:11, 1456-1464, DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2017.1364347
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13607863.2017.1364347
Video of the day - Old Man Yells At Cloud - The Simpsons
