The Innocence of Youth

By Al Horn

An article ran in the local paper last week. It was from a freelance writer in Atlanta, Georgia. He had just turned forty and was describing his current lifestyle or how he perceived himself among those that had also turn forty lately. His article struck me as both amusing and frightening. It amounted to a 'state of his condition' message. He had climbed to the top of his mountain, looked back, and declared the toll was minimal. If he were to turn around and gaze at the other side of the mountain that he is about to travel down... he would see nothing but fog.

They say hindsight is twenty-twenty. Somewhere between my fortieth and forty-eighth birthdays, I lost those magic numbers. That wasn't all I lost. If this fellow thought that migrating hair, shifting body mass, and a few new internal sounds are acceptable - then he truly is myopic.

Over the next several years many men like him will learn what they are really made of. Mentally, emotionally and especially their physical make up. They will experience aches and pains they never dreamed of. They will wake up in the middle of the night to find that things don't work the way they did twenty years ago. Each new realization will bring more questions as to what will happen next. Of course, it's not all bad.

The first time a man drops out of his softball, flag football, or basketball league, he will discover that his overall health and peace of mind have improved. The peace of mind comes from knowing you have dodged the bullet. At the age of forty, I saw an older man go down with an injury that younger men bounced right back from. The older man took all summer to heal from his injury. At the time, I looked at this event as a worse case scenario. A few years later and witnessing the same type of event a few more times told me it was time to take up more cerebral passions... such as writing and finding out what the world wide web was all about. I didn't become a complete spectator. I golf and occasionally sub in a bowling league.

As for this particular writer, he will soon be enlightened as to the many ways his body can betray him. He will learn that time often marches over you, not around you. For some, time will treat them like a premium golf course that only allows soft-spikes to be worn. For others, time will treat their bodies like rough terrain that requires long and sharp spikes.

Since I have turned forty, I have seen men my age discover how painful gall bladders and bone spurs can be. Hearing loss and vision impairments will strike many during this period. People will come to enjoy lumbar support. Some to the point that buying a vehicle without it is unthinkable. The worse insult? Bumps and bruises that seemingly healed over night when you were younger now linger for days. Hopefully, you will not get your first good view of your own mortality.

Three years ago I had a heart scare. My cardiac episode was followed by my first real health exam in years. My doctor looked at my sheet and commented as casually as possible that I needed a rectal exam. Talk about a rude awakening! Oh, and if you haven't been bothered by lower back pain by forty, then you don't have any grandchildren. My mother once told me that kids would make me feel younger. I'm here to tell you that your children's children will make you feel older. After an hour of two or three kids riding my back and shoulders, I was calling my friends to inquire about a good Chiropractor.

Watching my son carry his niece and nephew around all night only made me feel older.

On the bright side, I still have all most of my teeth and can still drive without prescription glasses. I enjoy long walks on sunny afternoons. My golf handicap is still dropping - by tenths of a stroke but still dropping. I have even learned to enjoy my grandchildren... one at a time.

I know that barring some wonder drug; things will continue to go down hill. Despite that bit of insight, I intend to stay upbeat about the future. A little forethought and some careful planning will see me through the worst of what fate has in store. In fact, I'm looking forward to my sixtieth birthday. I know that at some point thereafter, my son will call one night... wanting the name of a good Chiropractor.