[Dan in Pasadena]

Okay, so I read the piece that Porsche-O-Phile posted and while I agree that at least most of it is true, a few thoughts occurred to me:

First, I AM of the generation his post talks about. I wil be 52 next week.

Second, one of the most certain ways to know you are truly getting old and getting an old person's sensibilities is when you lament the passing of "the old days." When you worry about the "morality of our youth". The old saying about "If its too loud, you're too old" certainly applies to me...but...

My soon-to-be 82 year old mother is inadvertantly teaching me how NOT to be as I get older. Getting older isn't an excuse to be rude, lazy, mean spirited, lax about your appearence, fart in public, and nobody gives a rip about your latest doctor's appointment or how many medications you take. I love my mother, but I am learnig what NOT to do.

I ain't selling my 911 until I can't physically get in or out of it...and I may not sell it even then! I try very hard never to mention if my back aches, or to make sounds as I sit down or get up. I don't b(*)tch about "what things cost these days", etc.

I am mindful that one of the HARDEST things to do is age gracefully. I try to be current with what's going on in popular culture but not be the lame jackass at 50 that wears his hair in the up-in-the-middle Cupie doll style. (Yeah, I think it looks stupid but other than here, I shut up about it).

As I said, I will be 52 soon. Not old (I don't think?) but lets get real, I am not a "young" man by anyone's standards except, well....MY MOTHER'S!

I would love to hear the opinions/thoughts of the crowd my age and older...but also the thoughtful ideas and opinions of the truly younger guys. Do you actually ever think much about getting older? Not saving-for-the-future, etc. Do you think what it means to actually "age"? I know I didn't.