January 29, 1966
That was fifty years and one day ago, and apparently it was 3 degrees that day -- in Missouri. Fifty years is a long time, and then again it isn't. I suppose it's not debatable that being married to someone (or to many, cumulatively) is a long time! Those folks in my photo are my parents, of course. Hats off to them. I can barely date someone 50 days, let alone anything for 50 years. (I'm proud of that.)
I have no idea what they did on their actual anniversary yesterday. They're in south Texas, relaxing and doing whatever it is they do down there. We had a big party for them last summer to celebrate their fiftieth anniversary and seventieth birthdays -- it's a big year for them! Actually, Mom turned 70 in July, so she was ahead of the game a bit. She married a younger man.
Life goes by fast, that's for sure. Nothing is more tiring than hearing people talk about how "old" they are though, so you won't hear me go there. I think the main point in all this life stuff is that it goes by fast, you're young for a time to reproduce and keep the species thriving, then the rest is what it is. It's pretty simple. Raise your babies (if you have children), be a productive member of society, enjoy yourself, then get out of the way. It's not rocket science.
I do think it would be funny if once a person dies, he/she is immediately reincarnated, so all this nonsense about "Oh I'm getting old" was just complete ridiculousness and wasted breath. In other words, you fret about your ever-lengthening presence on Earth, then you die, and boom! You're a youngster again, with wisdom gained from your previous existence subliminally embedded throughout your being. Basically, you come back younger, smarter, stronger -- a perfect do-over.
I'm hungry, so it's about time for me to stop here. I'll finish strong though by saying, if you practice "old" jokes, stop. Just stop. If the only way a person can be funny, and I use that word quite loosely here, is to make quips about how old your 30-, 40-, etc.-something self is, well, you should probably stop trying to be funny. That's humor at the lowest common denominator, or approaching it anyway. I suppose the icing on the cake would be if you could tie all of the tired topics together in one swift delivery -- a piece of humor circled around age, bathroom habits, fat jokes, and lowbrow sexual innuendo. Hey, that sounds a whole lot like American sitcoms, doesn't it? Yes it does.
You see, I've learned a thing or two in my near-fifty years. Much more to come.
Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad.
