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34 is the new 24, eh?

So, I turned 34 on Saturday. In the days following, I've pondered about several things as is often the case when we approach this time of year:

- Where in the world did these past four years go?

- Am I really only six years away from turning 40?

- Why does my 21st birthday seem so long ago? Was it really 13 years ago?

- I can't possibly be thinking about using Just For Men Original Formula to remove some white from my hair, can I?

- Why is it people remove ten years from a person's age and will say "50 is the new 40" or "110 is the new 100"? Does that mean 34 is the new 24? Really?

There are days and weeks that just don't seem to end, yet there are also years that seem to pass us by at the speed of light, where we have to think back and wonder where the time went. This has happened to me in recent years. I can remember moving from Omaha, Nebraska to central Ohio approximately 7 years ago. I was 27, through with college, drifting apart from married friends of mine (which happened to be most of them), and ready to start a new chapter to my life. A year later, I started going through some major health struggles, which unfortunately lasted two years (seemed like longer). When I turned 30, I almost miraculously got over my health situation, had a new zest for life, and while those two difficult years seemed to last a decade or more, these past four years have seemed to last half that time.

One thing I have learned these past few days is that 34 is definitely not the new 24. Perhaps that "rule" only applies to people above the age of 40. Sure, there are days when I feel young again, especially in mind, heart, and spirit. However, physically, that's an entirely different matter. While I regularly work out and try to take my dog for as many walks as Mother Nature allows, I still find myself being more tired most nights and sorer the following morning after these workouts. There are even times I'll wake up where a part of my body is especially sore, and I think to myself, "Wait, why's that sore? I didn't work out that area at all yesterday."

Age is a funny thing. It's inevitable. Every person gets older and will feel the changes in one manner or another. At the same time, though, we often times want to deny ourselves this inevitability. We want to hang on to our youth, not only mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, but also physically (and yes, perhaps sexually as well). Many dye their hair as I'm thinking about doing. Others continue to dress youthful. Many will begin to work out more and eat healthier than they had been previously. A few may go the opposite route and head to younger bars and clubs. Some will even go further and opt for cosmetic surgery. Yet at the end of the day, while we may be able to fool some people about our age due to our appearance, deep down, we know our true age. We feel it. I don't know how old I look. I've been told anywhere from the early-20s to the early-30s. Yet, I know one thing, regardless of how old I look, I don't feel 21 anymore. If I get asked to go out and play some basketball, my immediate thought is no longer, "Heck yeah! I'm there!" No, it's more like, "Well, I still have a workout to do today, some things to do around the house, so I know I'm going to be sore and tired as it is tonight; perhaps I shouldn't overdo it." If a guy points out a younger looking woman to me, I don't immediately think, "Wow, she's really pretty." No, my thoughts are more, "Wow, she looks young. There's no way in hell I'd be able to date someone her age anymore." When it comes to vacation, if a girlfriend (or wife) of mine were to say, "Let's climb a mountain, go skydiving, do something really crazy and adventurous," I'd probably respond with, "How about we just relax on a beach somewhere?"

From pretty much the day I was born, I have been referred to as an old soul. It's maybe why I tend to enjoy having a date night with my father over weekends, why a pub I frequent is mostly made up of 50- to 80-year-olds, and why it seems as if I'm just better able to relate to people older than younger than myself. However, even in saying that, like most people, I'm having trouble fully adjusting to the inevitability of aging. It's not a problem for me mentally, emotionally, or spiritually, but I've still yet to fully accept it physically. Hopefully I won't wear my body down too much over the next few years, and at 40, I'll be saying, "Wow, it really is the new 30!"

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