It's weird being the same age as old people

I have this T-shirt that I love, that was pretty cheap and is already not in great shape. It says, "It's weird being the same age as old people." It gets a lot of LOL's.

Jokes aside, there's a lot of truth in it. "Old" is admittedly kind of subjective (unless you're talking about the dinosaurs running for president). Last year, at the big five-oh, I had a great week around my birthday, with a little local resort stay, a good friend surprising me in town and Living Colour playing Epcot. I figured that power-drinking sangria and watching a very loud rock-n-roll band probably made me less old. At the very least, I can confirm that it's not something that I recall my parents doing when they reached 50. In fact, I look around at many, but not all, of my peers, and none of us really seem old the way that Boomers did. While open to the fact that this may be because of perspective, there may be some reality to the difference. Later child rearing, different attitudes toward work and career, less emphasis on gender roles, etc., do make us objectively different.

Still, there was something psychological about the milestone last year, because this year my birthday snuck up on me. I have made zero plans. For much of my adult life, it's been the one week where I have made it a priority to say, fuck it, this is my week. I'm the priority. This year, I feel like I've been kind of avoiding thinking about it. That's lame.

For the last few months, I've been taking a hard look at my anxiety, and other feelings that generally make me uncomfortable. I'm getting closer and closer to figuring it all out. Age is a component of it, but it's not all of it. I'm realizing more and more that my age is an asset. I've objectively done a lot of shit, and know many things. The ongoing challenge is to figure out how to leverage all of that to my advantage, without being an arrogant dick about it. I also have to come to terms with the limitations of my scope of impact, as these are not flaws as much as they are reality.

I don't have any specific plans for Jeff Putz Week this year. Tonight, I'm just going to enjoy the companionship of my darling Diana, and sip a drink known as a "porn star."

Giggity.