You occasionally hear the saying, youth is wasted on the young.
I know my youth was wasted. Not in the sense that I had a "misspent youth" hanging around pool parlors, getting drunk, partying, and otherwise generally being a wastrel.
It was wasted in the sense that I didn't do enough of that sort of thing. If I could live my life over again, I'd forget about competitive swimming, or at least be less neurotic about it. Or maybe instead I'd have wrestled, which I probably would have been better at.
But mostly I'd just chase girls more. I wouldn't worry about making a fool of myself, or looking bad, or even being offensive. I'd just be much more uninhibited about the whole thing.
Looking back, I realize I was so shy I didn't even realize I was shy.
If I could do it again, I'd act more like the people I generally looked down on. You know, the particularly un-shy ones.
I wouldn't worry about what people thought of me -- what a waste of time that was. And I'd tell people what I thought of them -- both good and bad.
But all this makes me wonder: do old people feel that middle age is wasted on the middle-aged?
I have a feeling I'll look back, think of the ruts I was in (am in), and think I wasted my middle age as well.
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John man, you're a pretty profound guy to come up with that (goes beyond IQ) and I appreciate your candor. In my humble opinion, these are or will be the best years of your life. It's all a matter of how you want to live them. Don't mean to be vague, but just like when you were very young, now would be a great time to let it all hang out in any way that would make you fulfilled. In my experience, no matter what age one is, people always think they are too old. Is that you? Brian
Brian --
Thank you Brian. I don't know the answer to your question. I suspect I'm a 58-year-old teenager at heart, but don't have enough perspective to say for sure.
How about you?
Me, I'm 59 going on 21, or something similar, depending on the day. I have an off the charts testosterone level which I think adds to my often nutty behavior. I really don't feel much different than when I was very young. Maybe it's true that 60 is the new 30, or whatever. Combine all that with the fact that my father croaked when he was 59, so I sometimes think I have to pack it all in or forever hold my peace! My mother is 98 and she'll most likely never die--and she had 9 kids, me the youngest. So in many ways this does seem like the best time of life. I hope it is for you--you do appear to enjoy life a lot from what I can observe plus your athletic abilities and superior physique. Thanks for letting me opine! Brian
Brian --
Glad to hear that (a) your testosterone levels are off the charts and (b) you're enjoying the best time of your life.
As for me, as I said in the post, somehow this SEEMS as if it OUGHT to be a great time of life, but somehow..... it's not.
John--Couple things come to mind. One is the possibility that now actually is the best time of your life but you might not realize it till your much older, i.e., "the good old days", etc. 2. You are probably not (I'm definitely not) living up to your fullest potential--i.e., you have tremendous intelligent energy and creativity that you're leaving in the pool ( just a metaphor). You hit a hot button with me because I think about this all the time: how can I make my life more fun and exciting as it could be and that I grow and evolve as a person. I envy people like Picaso, Peter Drucker, etc. for living a passionate life till the very end. Notice that this response is really about me more than you, but however it might apply to you is coincidental and thanks for the opportunity to opine. It's actually helping me too. Brian
Thank you Brian. Yes, these things occur to me too. I think they occur to most people our age, to tell the truth. With the exception of a few guys like Picasso, I guess.
This is a good post. We can get into slumps. Fortunately, we can also get out of slumps (as long as we're breathing). This post is a good one for me to read. Try to make the most of life (with whatever time each of us has left).
- Susan
Susan --
Thank you, it's actually good for me to read too, given the various ruts I'm in.
And thank you again for reading this far back.
Enjoy the day. My kids are all home, so after work, I'll get to spend time with them (which I'm looking forward to). The oldest son is home from college, having picked him up last night (from UVA). I know about ruts! God Bless!
- Susan
Thank you Susan, Happy Thanksgiving to you.
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