There were hints along the way; evidence that I was about to cross a threshold that cannot be taken in reverse. A couple of years ago I pulled a muscle in my shoulder while adjusting a showerhead. Not long after that a twinge developed in my right knee whenever I walked up stairs. I began to notice that, left unshaven, my facial hair was more silver than brown. As my thoughts turned to bedtime, I began making judgement calls on parents that let their kids play outside after 8:30PM on a summer’s eve. Those children are so loud! Why aren’t they in bed?
Various clues of what was coming.
The threshold I didn’t see coming was being Old. Ancient,
really. Less than two years from 50 and I crossed the line unexpectedly but
with such clarity that my brain formed a simple two-word phrase to mark the
occasion.
