Mellow Yeller

There are faint wrinkles on my forehead. They’re not always noticeable, but they’re there. I have a few white hair strands, mostly at the sides of my head, as well. Other friends have a few already, too. I dunno, I think I’ve made peace with aging some time back, when I accepted that I have receding hair.

It’s amusing to see old schoolmates at Facebook. Many of them are barely recognizable, but quite a number still look like they did over half our lives ago. It’s interesting that some are raising kids. And it’s also interesting that some who didn’t seem to have direction back then turned their lives around, found purpose or causes that appeal to them.

I look at my contacts list and am reminded of many different good things, and some bad ones. That’s just the way it is. I could say that I’ve outgrown some people and relationships. After seventeen years of school, there are only a few of those people that have remained and can be called true friends. After school, we started forming bonds with those with whom we share passions, or gravitated to the like-minded. And there are new ones that we really care for and learn from. Maybe I’ll outgrow them, too, eventually.

I remember singing along to OMD’s “If You Leave” 20 years ago, but it’s only now that I can relate to it. It’s the same with depictions of love and life in some songs and other art forms. I, like others, have experienced failure and success, heartaches and joy. I have grown to be more understanding, but I often become impatient when faced with others’ ineptness or insensitivity.

Man, I’m growing old.