Aging, maturity, and Ponce de Leon

Last Saturday's Cub Scout weekend went beautifully... not a cloud in the sky, 70 degrees. The kids and their fathers were wonderful - no incidents or anything - only one kid skinned his knee. It was nice to see the fathers and their kids spending quality time together. Some had children that couldn't ride a bike, so they took one of the bikes off to the side of the course and did that right-of-passage of teaching their kid to ride a bike - holding on to the back of the seat, running with their son, then letting go and seeing how far he could get. I couldn't help but remember when I was their age and my father taught me to ride in the back alley behind our home.

I had a great assistant, Jake, for the day. He's a big guy - about 6'2" and 300 lbs. He was a great help, running onto the course to check on kids that fell, going over the rules of the course for the kids when I was too busy adjusting a seat for one of the kids, etc. From how responsible, mature, and big he is, I guessed he was about 20-22 years old.... turns out he's a junior in high school and still a Boy Scout (also, he thought I was 27-28). I must say I was impressed that someone so young could be such an adult.

I also ran into an old friend from college. At first I wasn't sure it was him... the bits of gray in his hair made him seem older. We were both in the same student organization, we both graduated with a degree in theater at the same time, and he is only a year or so older than me. He was there with his son. Last time I saw him, back in 95, he was married with one daughter. I got a chance to catch up with him. It turns out he was divorced with 2 children from that marriage, and was now remarried. His second wife already had 2 kids from a previous marriage, now ages 12 and 17. His son with him today was his from his second wife. So here is someone I knew, one year older than me, with 5 children.

This morning, a friend of mine who is living in Japan, Jason,-- his wife had a son.

This morning it all hit me... so many changes in other people's lives... marriage, divorce, children, etc... my friend from the scout camp said I still looked the same. I feel like I haven't aged. Like somehow I was watching everyone else grow old but I was not growing old myself. I found my own perception of my age more akin to Jake's (when I thought he was 20-22) than to the parents there for the weekend. Both him & I are at the stage of our lives where we are adults yet unburdened with responsibilities of marriage and parenthood. A time to be carefree and adventurous.

...I have grown in many ways over the past ten years. I am definitely not the same person I was back then. Yet today, reflecting on where my friends are, I feel like they've passed me, moved on with their lives... married... fathers... and that I haven't aged at all.