If Time Flies, Does Sleep Spider?

I am 50 years old!

I truly love being able to say that. Partly because I am vain and ingloriously self-aware enough to know I don't look 50...whatever 50 is supposed to look like. In general I don't feel 50 (again, whatever 50 is supposed to feel like) and I've been told I don't act 50 years old. I take that as a compliment regardless of how it was meant! I move more slowly, but that is probably due to my weight and not my age.

I am looking forward to asking for my senior discount. And now I can say, sorry I don't have time for that, and not feel bad. I'm 50 and I have to prioritize the time I have left.

Fall is always an introspective time for me - I've always taken my birthday month(October) as a time to reflect on my life. Because it was a momentous birthday, I became even more aware of the time that has passed. It seems to be speeding up. Fifty years has, literally, flown by.

Some of the things I take for granted today haven't been around all that long; cell phones, the internet, email, home computers. These are the every day tools of my life. They make it possible for me to work too damn much yet give me great joy by keeping me connected to family and friends.

I remember when a microwave was a big expense and not everyone could afford one - same with a VHS player or video recorder. These items were not only expensive they were huge! A microwave took up half your counter, so most people purchased a microwave stand. The VHS player took up the entire top of your TV, which was okay, because those 19-inch-screened TV's were encased in little houses that sat in your family room - lots of table-top room on their roofs for doilies, pictures and the VHS player. The camcorder weighed about 25 lbs and looked like something the local news crew would use for a 'man on the street' interview. The first computer I used at work had a black screen and a neon green cursor. I think the language was COBAL. I couldn't send email, but I could enter data that allowed me to print out and send your dental claim to the insurance carrier via the US postal service.

Now your phone, the size of a deck of cards (but weighing less) can do everything but microwave your food....and that's probably coming as soon as they figure out how to ensure you don't accidentally microwave your neighbor as well.

A thought on that last paragraph: Using a deck of cards for comparison probably isn't relevant, since everyone plays solitaire on their phones.

I think all the technology we use has sped up time. That's why 'they' say that 50 is the new 40 and we all look pretty good 'for our age.' It's probably why summer is now only 5 weeks long (at least in Chicago) and the work week requires you to accomplish 80 hours of tasks while being paid for 35 hours of 'work.' Someone should really look into this, but I can't because I am 50 years old and have other things to do.