I was young and foolish then, I feel old and foolish now...

My birthday is in two weeks. I will be 29. Now I'm not having one of those crises where people start lamenting the loss of their youth. I'm happy to be 29, and all things being even, I've had a grand 29, and look forward to at least 29 more, and then 29 more. I think I'm good after that.

The reason why I do bring that up is two-fold:

1. Everyone loves presents or cards on their birthday. Read that statement as you will. I think actually it would be cool to get a postcard from as many people as are willing to send a local postcard. Read that statement as you will also.

2. As I am getting older, time seems to be going much faster.

The years go by much quicker than then had before. I used to think that this is because we busy ourselves with such things, that we live for deadlines and vacations so much that we forget to live each day in the moment. There definitely is some truth to that, far more in my own life than I wish was the case. The more I thought about it though, there is some legitimacy to the sense that time is moving faster as we get older. If we look at things relatively (and really, that's all we can do), each year we are alive represents an ever shrinking percentage of your life up to that point.

Let me explain:
When I was 5, that year represented 1/5th of my total existence on earth, and even less when you think of the fact that the first two years aren't really retained much as complete memories. When I was 5, one year seemed like an eternity.
Now that I am approaching 29, this past year has just been merely 1/29th of my life to this point. That's not much at all. Less than 4% of my total conscious existence.

365 days is ever more becoming the proverbial "drop in the bucket."

While one can look at this shrinking awareness of individual years and days, the largest advantage that I have seen out of this is that while I lose emphasis on each passing year, I gain more and more perspective. I can see things far better now than I could 5 years ago, and I hope five years from now, I'll be able to look back with even greater clarity.

Now, so as to not start sounding like Confucius, I'm still a fool, who does stupid things. I just tend to do them with decreasing regularity. I am trying to see how I have been foolish in the past and learn to allow that to help me not make the same mistakes in the future.

Aging is a weird thing. There is a bit of it that is scary. It's weird that I'm passed the point where I can legitimately claim to not be an adult yet (even though the last time I was in PA, a local political candidate asked me when I answered the door at my mom's house if I was "in high school or college"). Sometimes when I listen to pop radio now, I hear some of the songs and think, "Who would like this? This is barely music." Immediately after I thinking something like that, I feel as though I should sip a glass of Metamucil and get home to catch The Lawrence Welk Show post haste.

All in all, though, I like it. I can look back at the things that I used to do, and think, "Wow, I'm not as big of an idiot as I used to be." I can see mistakes that I used to make that I don't make anymore. Also, I can see mistakes that I still make, and have hope for my ability to grow out them.

When it's all laid out, I can look back and see God working on me, even when I didn't realize it, and even when I didn't want it.

That alone is humbling, and makes it all worth it.

Even more so, it makes me excited for what's next.