The possible end of my 1/4-life crisis

You know that old line, "sometimes you have to stop and smell the roses" ?

It's overused, but not often followed. As a society, we're always looking ahead. We're saving money for the future. Planning for retirement. Dreaming about next year's vacation. Thinking about a future spouse and children. Fearing getting old. It's always about the future.

And we spend so much time doing this that we miss a lot of the present.

It's something that I've tried to work on lately. I try not to look ahead more than a week. I spend more time focusing on today (literally). I'm going to get old. I'm going to die. Why waste time thinking about it?

And you know what I found when I started doing this? I found that I was a little happier each day. Really. My outlook on life brightened.

What I'm really blogging about is the possible end of my Quarter Life Crisis. And listed above is my first piece of evidence.

The second piece of evidence is this: Very soon I think I will be ready for a real relationship. I know - shocker right? And it's not that I've been avoiding getting involved with women. I have just been enjoying my freedom for the past year. But all good things must come to an end. So I have officially made myself open for business (I'm not sure if that's the proper metaphor here).

The last piece of evidence came after I learned of my impending unemployment. I stopped spending frivolously and started saving money. I began making budgets, and really sticking to them. I started acting like an adult.

So let's just recap here:
1. I'm no longer afraid of getting old (but some of that is me having high hopes for medical science in the future)

2. I'm ready to be tied down

3. I'm acting like an adult.

I know... it's scary. Isn't this one of the signs of the apocalypse?

Plastic Knife Cuts

A few days ago, I was grilling burgers on my deck. My neighbor came outside (we live in town-homes so his deck touches mine) and we started chatting for a while. Now, normally this wouldn't be blog-worthy. Big deal, Rob was talking to his neighbor. Who the hell cares right?

Actually, it was a profound experience for me. I found out that Bob (that's his name) recently bought his first home, taught himself to play the drums, started his own business, and took up running again after a long hiatus. What's so special about all that?

He's 52. Exactly twice my age. When this man was my age, I was just being born.

I've always been terrified of growing old and dying. We only get one shot at life and there is only so much that you can learn/do/experience... it gets overwhelming at times. I figure that I need to run and play Ultimate while I'm young because once I hit my early 40s, I won't be able to be active anymore. I try to travel and live a little crazy now, because once I have kids that will have to stop.

But talking to my neighbor left me with hope. Maybe I still have some time left. Maybe life goes on after 40.

NOTE: I apologize to all readers over the age of 40. I'm sure you all lead normal healthy active lives.

Oh, and what's with this blog title? It had nothing to do with the story.

Don't worry, it's not some cryptic metaphor. We got free bagels and coffee at work today, and I cut myself with a plastic knife. That sucker was sharp!