It's something I know a little bit about. There's a lot of people out there that say that growing old is hard, but I have to admit, it one of the easiest things I have ever done and it seems I am quite good at it as well! In fact, it's really easy for anyone to do. Just sit and wait... the years catch up to you with no effort on your part. Before you know it, they have piled in your lap like some kind of lazy cat.

Now I really don't recommend waiting for them to catch up to you. You could end up waiting a very long time with little more that the years themselves to show for it. Of course there are advantages to having these years behind you! There are fewer to look forward to... wait... is that an advantage? Hmm... probably not.

There are all the gray hairs that find their way into every nook and cranny of your body... wait a second... still not an advantage. What purpose does it serve other than to show others how many years are lying in your lap? A little will make you look "distinguish" but you get too many and you look... well... old.

Ah! Now here's an advantage! That spare tire you get around your... never mind... Actually I have managed to keep mine down to a bicycle tire but still, they SAY love handles are sexy! But let's not over do it shall we?

So what ARE the true advantages of getting old? The true advantages of getting old really only show themselves if you don't just sit and wait for the years to come to you. I would suggest you run AWAY from those years as fast as you possibly can! If you do, you gain a lot from it. Sure, you'll still get the gray hair and you MIGHT get a bicycle tire but you get so many other things like:

You eventually learn how to balance you own checkbook and fill out your OWN tax forms! You get to know fun facts about the past like the day they invented the home computer... because you were THERE! And you live to see your children grow up and have kids of their own, that you can feed sugar to and send home (Ahh... SWEET revenge)!

You also learn understanding, empathy, patience and how to interact in a CONSTRUCTIVE way with most people! I did say MOST people didn't I? You know the pain of loss and the warmth of love. You learn how to make your wife happy and STILL get the things you want (MOST of the time). And when your son or daughter comes up to you and says "I don't know what to do!" You can help them by providing more than just a shoulder to lean on. Or, just be the shoulder if that's what they need.

Growing old can be a wondrous journey! Of course, the point of a journey is traveling from one spot to another. So, what kind of journey would it be to just sit and wait for the years to pile up? I for one try to run away from the years screaming and yelling (people at work think I'm nuts!) I have found that little on/off switch which allows me to be 14 years old when I want to be and 53 when I NEED to be. I usually don't relate well to other "adults" because of the 14 switch, but that is THEIR loss, because the young kids prefer to hang with me... not those "Old farts"!

I truly hope that you find your 14 switch, or the switch that allows you to "Play" as an adult.

I for one, will always keep track of mine.