Thank You, Sir

Well, reality is finally starting to sink it's (sometimes) brutal teeth into my conscious thinking as I am realizing, without a shadow of a doubt...

I'm getting old.

(sighs)

It's kind of cute, I suppose, when you consider moving on in years, maturing gracefully, dignified and as stately as possible. However, in my case, I know for a fact my wife would argue those last 3 points against me. Gracefully? HA! Dignified? Like a child! Stately? As in a state of insanity? Sure. She could even argue the "maturing" aspect of me, saying that perhaps one day I'll start behaving like a 37 year old man instead of a 5 year old boy.

But you know what? That's what makes me "me"!! LOL

Try as I might, though, I'm still living in an aging body. A body that has seen it's fair share of wear & tear. No longer can I lay out in front of the TV playing video games and leap to my feet like a bolt of lightning to answer the phone. No, it's more like I groan & moan and try to get enough momentum going just to swing my leg up and under my torso, trying to prop myself up.

My knees, especially my left one, are sore and unable to support my "massively muscular" frame (at least that's how I see it). There's this shooting sharp pain from my left knee that I've been concerned about (or whining about by my wife's account) for quite some time. I wanted to have a doctor check it out but I know that it'd be a waste on money and time letting someone look it over just to say "well, I think you're just getting old."

As young as I may THINK I am, I can't go 9 rounds with my son in a hearty battle as Power Rangers or Ninja Turtles. I used to laugh and tense up, ready to absorb his 4 year old power coming at me at full-steam. Now, I grin nervously and wince as he continues to get stronger and place his attacks with highly precise accuracy. As men, there are some areas that never need be attacked, precisely or otherwise yet the boy seems to unknowingly find them.

The aches & pains will continue, even though as hard as it is to accept, time moves on. Common sense says this is supposed to happen so I guess I'm more prepared for a physical breakdown than a mental one.

Let me expound.

I'm not saying I'm on the verge of having to spend time taling about my inner child with Dr. Phil. No, what has me concerned is the acceptance of what once WAS and what now IS. For example, our dear friends the Yates have a lovely 18 year old daughter who, being properly taught and raised, uses proper greetings and references to those older than her.

People like me.

In fact, both she and her boyfriend are very well mannered yet are both guilty of using names I never thought I'd be called.

Sir.

Mister.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Ragsdale.

I'm always quick to tell them, "guys, please don't call me that. I'm just 'Jim'. When you say 'sir' or 'mister' I look for someone much older. I'm not old enough to be a 'sir' or 'mister' so you can just say 'Jim', OK?"

They look at me with nervous grins and nod. I'm sure they're thinking "this poor sap is so old and broken down, he doesn't even know it." They probably then agree to my face only to get me to shut up and move on to find a piece of cake or something.

Granted, Lauren & Crosby's parents are outstanding citizens and Christian parents, teaching all the attributes and morals found in Scripture but I don't want to be a 'sir' or 'mister' yet.

I want to stay 'Jim'.

I don't see myself at an age where I have become a 'sir' yet. I still feel like I should be hanging out with the kids, going to the pizza parlors after the sock-hops and cruising the strip in our '81 Olds Cutlass.

What's that you say? The kids don't do that kinda thing anymore? (shakes head in disbelief)

It's hard enough to see 18-22 year olds in the mall wearing t-shirts with logos of the rock bands I used to listen to 10-20 years ago (ie: Van Halen, Journey, Bon Jovi, etc) but I know for a fact they're not wearing these shirts because they're fans of the music.

No. It's more of a fashion statement. Retro, if you will. What's "old" is now "new" again. In fact, I recently even had a 17 year old tell me that although Eddie Van Halen was a great guitar player, he didn't really have that big of an impact / influence on the music scene.

What?????

You can understand why I stood there with my mouth open in astonishment, looking like the Coyote after the Roadrunner just kicked into super-hyper drive.

Fashion nightmares from the 80's are now making a comeback, as are many of the bands from that era. Songs on Radio Disney even trumpet about people like me who (mentally) may still live back in the 80's and can't quite come to grips it's now 2006.

Classic TV shows are making HUGE impacts on my kids' life alone. Here's what they like to watch on a near-regular basis...no joke.

Alf
Happy Days
The Cosby Show
Full House
Power Rangers
Ninja Turtles
Speed Racer
The Brady Bunch
Spiderman (from the 60's even! You know, the one with the famous song?)

While I love the fact that with these shows, you never have to worry about controversial content or curse words or anything that would cause you to raise your eyebrows, it's kinda weird to see my 8 year old giggling at some silly thing Bobby & Peter have done on the Brady Bunch...or even for Jake to be immersed in awe at the martial arts prowess of 4 talking turtles.

They're living my childhood. But, the good thing about this is I often get to re-live it myself.

Which may be why, at times, my wife says she has 3 kids she tends to at home.

God give her strength.

Did I also mention she was mocking me for finding some gray hairs blossoming on top of the ol' noggin? Oh yeah...she's quite the "encourager". LOL