July 20, 2006
The Age Thing
Well it's birthday time for two of The Three Tomatoes and we have one
thing to say -- how the hell did we get this old? Yes, we know we should be saying hooray and hallelujah because it
sure beats the alternative, and for that we are mightily grateful everyday. And yes, we know it's just a
"number". And 40 is the new 20, and 50 is the new 30, and 60 is the new 40, and before you know it we'll all be
embryos. Well you know the blah, blah, blah and all those other pandering "old people" platitudes. So
indulge us today in our little musings on growing older. Hey, it's our birthday.
Now the thing is, we don't mind celebrating our birth "day" -- it's
the age thing we'd rather not focus on . And hey, they don't call it a birth year celebration now do they?
Here's the point. We don't feel old. In fact most of the time we don't actually think about our
age. And honestly there are times when we have actually forgotten how old we really are, which no doubt is
denial. But then again, there are lots of things we forget these days. Like, walking into a room and
wondering why we're there. Like forgetting names of people. And we're not talking casual acquaintances here, but names like
say our kids, for example. And even more scarily forgetting names of things which sends us into that whole charades kind
of game. You know, where you describe what the thing does and looks like when you can't remember the things
name.
And of course nowadays, we moan about the "youth" obsessed culture we live
it. Which is kinda of ironic since our generation more or less created this obsession now didn't we?
Remember when thirty was old and you couldn't trust anyone over that age? Of course that was in the days when cops,
doctors, and presidents were way older than you too.
Okay, so we don't feel "old". And in our little world of
denial, we don't actually look "old". Unless we say the "number" out loud and then the evil age fairy descends on us and
suddenly we have wrinkles, sagging jaw lines, and body parts that jiggle (and not the ones that should). So, as a general rule, we
simply do not utter the number.
We do think however, that our birth "day" is a good time to review where we are in
our lives and more importantly where we're going. And no, we're not talking in an existential sort of way -- hey we're just
not that deep. We mean in a more tangible "so what do we want to do next" sort of a way. So every
year for the past few years, we set some new challenges for ourselves.
Like one year we finally figured out that we couldn't do much about getting older
but we sure as heck didn't have to get older and fatter and more out of shape. So we took care of two out of
three. Another year we learned to scuba dive at the urging of a pal, and despite our sheer terror at the thought, we
actually did it! Another year, we discovered the thrill of grabbing the microphone at a piano bar and warbling a country
tune or two -- off key of course and to the chagrin of relatives in ear shot . But here's, the best
part. We didn't care. Another year we launched The Three Tomatoes, just for the fun of
it.
And this year? Well, we're thinking maybe we'll actually
take some singing lessons (those same two Patsy Cline numbers are getting a little stale), and get up the courage to sky dive, and finally go on that
African Safari and who knows what else.
So here's the deal. We're not going to be old until
we say we're old. And today we're feeling decidedly "un old". So it is hooray and hallelujah, pass the
martinis and Happy Birthday to us after all.
So here's to all the "un old" tomatoes out there -- ripe is better than green and we
sure as heck aren't withering on the vine.
Happy Birthday to us,
‘til next week,
The Three Tomatoes
Copyright© 2006. The
Three Tomatoes. All rights reserved.
