Thursday Th(ink)s - August 27, 2026

This week my good friend said, “Oh sweetie…” when I said, “I am old.”

She takes umbrage with that declarative statement coming from me. She didn’t actually use the word umbrage, but I couldn’t resist. It means, essentially, “Hey, I take exception to that.”

My friend is ten years older than me, so she’s a day ahead. I’m in Thursday evening; she’s got her feet to the fire of Friday evening. Neither of us anxious for the weekend.

Do we notice the differences?

For sure.

I have more physical energy; she, as it appears to me, has more social energy. This is partly our personalities, but age also speaks into the equation. It’s natural. When your knees still work, you go. When they stop cooperating, you figure out another way to go.

I watch those who are older than me and learn from them. This friend has put her energy into its natural place.

She hasn’t quit; she’s modified.

Now, of course, if she said to someone ten years older than her, “I’m old,” they might respond:

“Oh sweetie…”

I am a little old; she is older.

There’s always someone who is “more” than you, or “less” than you. Always.

If someone ten years younger than me tried to tell me how I should feel about aging, I might be tempted to say, “Oh sweetie…”

But the truth is, no one can really decide for you how you feel. Especially about aging.

We are born aging. We die aged—if we are lucky.

My oldest daughter is not yet forty, but already we talk about how aging is showing up in her body. It’s real to her. And I want to hear about it. We do not compare ourselves with each other.

Her story is her story.

Mine is mine.

Change happens fast in the final quarter of life. Everything we put into the bank during the first three quarters is supposed to be getting paid out now, with interest.

Sometimes.

Except bodies are terrible accountants.

I know people who never smoked a day in their lives and still died of lung cancer. Or the woman who did Sudoku faithfully for thirty years and still got dementia.

Eat the broccoli. Take the walk. Use your brain. Floss your teeth. Wear a hat. Absolutely.

But none of it comes with a guarantee.

Nothing is fair; it never was.

One of the truths of getting old is we finally stop expecting life to be fair.

So yes, sweet friend. I know you’re ten years older.

But I’m still old.

I’m determined to get the most out of my Thursday, while keeping my eye on how you live your Friday.

So far, you’re making it look pretty good.

Big Brains: "The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age." — Lucille Ball

Old Souls: "The older I grow, the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom." — H.L. Mencken

The Ancient of Days: “Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.” -Job 12:12 (ESV)

Norma Jean: 
But the truth is, no one can really decide for you how you feel. Especially about aging.

Thursday Chat: In what ways have you modified your life as you’ve aged? Has this change made you grieve or have you accepted it as the natural progression to “the weekend.”