Things I Actually Appreciate About Getting Older

As can be seen by my song lists, when I want a song for a specific topic or theme or emotion, I have 5 decades of my own life plus everything that came before to select from. My son just asked me the other day "How do you know so many songs?"

While I miss my youth, the younger me would have to hear about places that he'd never seen with his own two eyes. There are still plenty of places I haven't been to, but it's funny when I can hear a place mentioned and have first-hand experience with it.

There are plenty of disasters I'm able to avoid because I know better now. Sure, that means I had to have a few disasters on the way, but I've survived them all.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I've conquered every adversity so it takes more and more to scare me.

I've done "fake it till you make it" enough times that I don't really get that much impostor syndrome (ok, maybe a little).

When I was younger I felt this divorce between what was history and the current events that were going on. I don't know how the big events that I've witnessed will be judged in centuries, but I have a better idea of what is shaping humanity's history.

Young people have a thirst for glamour and excitement. FOMO doesn't mean much to me (ok, maybe a little).

Even when I'm making grandiose claims about how cool I am with getting older, I can contradict myself with a "ok, maybe a little".

I've known people my age and younger who are no longer with us. Tomorrow isn't promised today.

I left this one for last since it's somewhat ephemeral. Some cliches are true, some are bunk, and I've learned the difference (ok, maybe only a little).