When I used to teach I remember thinking to myself how the incoming students seemed to be getting younger and younger each year. That’s before I realized that it was I getting older.

I’m approaching that age when I’ll feel the urge to buy a convertible sports car, have an affair with a young bimbo, and start to invest in high risk portfolios. Getting older has been an adventure that I wouldn’t change for the world.

Watching The Guardian with Kevin Costner (I wasn’t with him, he’s in the movie) last night, those thoughts were driven home by this quote:

Ben Randall: When the heck did we get old?
Maggie McGlone: Hell, I’ve always been old Ben. Ya’ know what though, I don’t mind. I mean if my muscles ache, it’s because I’ve used ‘em. It’s hard for me to walk up them steps now, its ‘cuz I walked up ‘em every night to lay next to a man who loved me. I got a few wrinkles here and there, but I’ve layed under thousands of skies with sunny days. I look and feel this way, well cuz I drank and I smoked. I lived and I loved, danced, sang, sweat and screwed my way thorough a pretty damn good life if you ask me. Getting old ain’t bad Ben. Getting old, that’s earned.

And as The Girl and I both age together, she’ll remain as young in my heart as the day I first laid eyes on her through the rear view mirror of her car.