A small reflection that’s bounced into my non-stop brain today: aging is an odd experience. 

I don’t feel any older. I look it. No one has asked for my ID in a long time when I’ve ordered or purchased alcohol. 

I don’t feel any older. But, I’ve been a Boy Scout leader for so long that the first group of boys that I helped raise in the program are, or are approaching, 30. Several have kids of their own now. 

I don’t feel any older. But the first newborn baby I held – the one who is the same age difference from me as I am from my father – is old enough to drink. My Godson will be 18 this year. 

I’ve been an adult long enough that I’ve experienced a lot – good and bad – such that I can project a certain amount of confidence in just about any situation. But I feel there is so much I don’t know. 

I feel how fleeting time is. I hope I have a lot left, but I wonder if I’ll ever get to all the books on my shelves and kindle. I hope I have time to do more of what I want, and balance the “have to dos” to a minimum. 

I don’t feel any older. I’ve taken a road less traveled. Sometimes I wonder how much I’ve missed out on, being “non-traditional” and not having my own family. Other moments, I swim in the blessings and love that I have. 

In theory, this is supposed to be the “middle” age. I’m still figuring out some things that others did in their twenties, while in other ways, I’m more mature – or more of an “old soul” – than most folks. 

Then I remember one of my favorite quotes from the movie Yellow Submarine, spoken by George’s character: “It’s all in the mind.”