There's one thing about

getting old I really don't like: the part about getting old. Of course,

the alternative isn't so attractive; one could even say it's

a dead end. For any young readers out there, one day (if you live long

enough) you too will be considered an "old guy," and being one

is not exactly what you think.

When you're in high school, you care about being able to drive, going

places and doing things with your friends. If you get into a car crash,

you worry Mom or Dad will think you're too young to drive and take

your license away. You worry they'll take your freedom away. You

care about wearing the latest fashions, having the right haircut to make

you look older, and going to see your friends to say hi. You worry about

that pimple that came up overnight, the math test you didn't study

for, and whether that special someone will notice you today. Most of all,

you want to be older, on your own, and not dependent on anyone for anything.

All of these things are important in your high school world; but there's

another world out there.

In the old guy world, things are a little different. We also drive to

see old friends; we remember all of the things we did together, and say

good-bye as we leave their graveside services. When we get into a car

crash, we too worry about losing our license. We worry whether our son

or daughter will think we're too old to drive and take our license

away. We worry they'll take our freedom away. We don't care

about the latest fashions anymore; we just hope the clothes look right

on us. The right haircut can make us look younger. Most of all, we want

to be young again, on our own and not dependent on anyone for anything,

but the reality is, we find more and more we can't.

As a senior in high school, you're excited about what college you'll

soon attend. In the next four years you'll spend most of your time

learning as much as you can so you can get a good paying job and be a

productive member of society. You look forward, and your whole life lies

before you. Soon, you'll start to save for retirement. You live your

life at a fast pace, and if you stumble and fall along the way, it's

no big deal because you'll just pick yourself up and heal quickly.

You want to see and do everything, and you wonder if you'll "fit

in" and make a difference in the world.

In the old guy world, things are a little different. We spend most of

our time trying to remember what we've learned in school, and everyday

we see more and more of that knowledge slipping away. Now that our retirement

savings is gone, all we want is a job, even a low paying one, so we can

be productive members of society once again. We look back, and see that

most of our life is now behind us. We live our life at a much slower pace,

if we stumble and fall, we must have someone else pick us up and it's

a big concern because now we don't heal so quickly. Looking back,

we wonder, "Did we ever fit in and make a difference in the world?"

I told Best Friend Mitch the other day that I didn't think that I

"fit in" anymore. Guess I'm getting to be an "old

guy." He looked at me and said, "What do you mean you THINK

you're getting to be an old guy? I got news for you, you ARE an old

guy."

I told him it looked like maybe he was getting to be an "old guy"

too. All of his hair has started turning gray. He just looked at me, shook

his head and said, "Well, mine might be turning gray, but at least

mine's not turning loose." Best Friend Mitch; he's such

a funny guy. Sometimes he knows just what to say to cheer me up.

[Rick Ryckeley is employed by the Fayette County Department of Fire and

Emergency Services. He can be reached at [email protected].]