When I’m 54 (Misc. Musings of a Middle-Aged, 108-Year-Old Man)

Well, the day has come. When I’m 54 is today. I don’t feel older. I mean, I’m tired, but it’s just after midnight and today was a long one. Maybe when I wake up - after having a good night’s sleep - I’ll feel worse - I’ll feel my age. On the other hand, maybe not. This afternoon, I was honored to spend a few hours in the home of a married couple - both octogenarians - who have meant a lot to me since I first met them in the late 1900’s. They are still as awesome as I remember them to be. Totally dedicated to Jesus - totally in love with each other - totally committed to their family and totally extending grace to OTHERS. It occurs to me, as I’m writing this blog entry, that they were - pretty much - my age now, back in the day - and I’ll be where they are one day in the future, (he typed, hopefully). In spite of this blog’s subtitle, I am on the other side of mid-life, and I forgot to have a crises. Actually, I’ve had several, but I just refer to them as a Seattle Mariners baseball sea...

In 1985, the year I graduated from A.J. Dimond High School, a SoCal band called the Altar Boys released their sophomore album; When You’re a Rebel. The band of brothers & sisters I ran around with loved it! That's the way it is When you're a Rebel!  the world is just so  different from you When you're a Rebel!  they don't understand  the things you do When you're a Rebel!  you got to make a stand Cause we're getting close to the end Yea gotta say it like it is man When you're a rebel! The thing is, I wasn’t a rebel - not really. Don’t get me wrong, there was tons of stuff I didn’t want to do; clean dishes, go to bed at a decent hour, eat in a healthy manner, exercise, etc. I was fairly consistent in my rebellion against those things and a few others. But when it came to taking a stand against things right in front of me that weren’t right…rebel fail. The fact that I had no tattoo or piercings didn’t improve my rebel rep. I did have a leather jacket, a b...