Some Benefits of Growing Up

      Wednesday morning, on the way to the men’s room, I walked past several booths full of rough-and-tumble covered-in-field-dirt young oilfield workers. I doubt any of them noticed me, and they certainly didn’t notice what I was wearing, but it felt to me like I was parading down the runway in a fashion show.

      Why?

      Because I was wearing a jacket on a warm sunny day. Do real men do that? None of these burly guys were wearing long sleeves.

      My previous self resisted putting on a jacket or windbreaker or fleece on a warm day because I didn’t want to look foolish, unmanly, or soft.

      Nowadays, I don’t care. I put on the jacket and don’t worry who sees. In fact, I find myself pulling it out of my backpack two or three times a week. I figure my gray hair and gray beard give me permission to be eccentric. 

      Growing up has finally become an asset. 

      I don’t think I can actually say I like being old, but I don’t resent it, or fight it, as I thought might when I looked ahead to this season so many years ago. Cyndi and I’ve had enough peers pass away in the past couple of years we both know how fortunate we are. (I have a note taped to the inside of my bathroom cabinet: Aging is a privilege; don’t waste it.)

      Growing older no doubt brings diminishments, but more than a few benefits as well.

      Here are a few personal examples:

      I’ve learned to enjoy walking as much as I once loved running. I still miss running when I see a race or someone out training, but the moments are few. It took me a long time to be comfortable telling Cyndi, “I’m going walking” instead of “I’m going running,” without it feeling like a downgrade, but now I’m completely used to it.

      I don’t feel I have to be good at everything, or pretend I’ll learn auto mechanics someday, or plumbing, or home electrical wiring. Nowadays I’m more interested in having friends who are experts.

      I trust my intuition more. Not everything has to be evidence-based.

      I no longer mind if someone rushes across Lowe’s parking lot to help me load something heavy into my pickup. Now I appreciate and accept their offer.

      I’ve grown accustomed to my public persona. I look in the mirror and think, “Well, this is the way I look, now.”

      I love bringing up ideas and details from 60 years of reading and studying – it feels like a superpower.

      I’m grateful for the people God has surrounded us with. I feel blessed to be around so many men and women who think deeply about significant things.

      I resent intrusions on my private time less and less. I’ve learned to enjoy the interactions instead of seeing them as missed opportunities to work on something.

      Both Cyndi and I are learning to do stuff now, while we can. We don’t intend to slow down until we have to, until life forces us to, which will happen someday soon enough.

      I’m more confident in my ability to speak or teach in a large, crowded room, and braver using the weight of my personality and history to speak out when I need to. Also, I’m more confident in my ability to bring people together.

      I’m becoming more cold-natured-ish, and enjoying it. One reason why wearing my jacket in Whataburger bothers me less is because I like winter clothes better than summer clothes. I’m happiest when wearing a fleece pullover. Also, if my personal temperature runs cooler, I’ll be more like Cyndi. Always a good idea.

      All of these changes have made me a better man, and I’m looking forward to more changes in the future. It’s my desire to grow up with more grace, less judgment, broader interests, less dogma, a bigger view of life, and a deepening walk with God.

      YOUR TURN: How have you changed in your current season of life? What has surprised you?

*  *  *  *  *

“I run in the path of Your commands, for You have set my heart free.” Psalm 119:32