Approaching Fifty - It makes you want to sigh!

I have noticed over recent weeks that I have been sighing a great deal.

Not with sadness you understand. This expelling of air is a totally

involuntary action and seems to be linked with nothing more than having

moved in some small way.

It’s as if I need to make a comment about how old I am starting to feel

but can’t find the words to fully express it; and so I sigh.

What made it slightly worse is than I have noticed that my dad does the

very same thing and has done so for some time.

Then, last week, whilst in the supermarket I overheard someone describe me

as ‘That old man’.

They meant no ill by it and I took into consideration that they were

merely a teenager and thereby new little about life.

I am just under a thousand hours from my fiftieth birthday so I really

don’t want to be know as ‘that old man’ at this stage of my existence.

I ask my wife whether I deserved such a descriptor and she was supportive

to a point but reminded me that I am technically in my fiftieth year and

about to start my fifty-first. Not being interested in technicalities I

ignored her comment.

Ignoring the fact that I was ignoring her Mrs M went on to ask what

description I would have liked them to use.

I thought for a moment and then conceded that I couldn't find one that was

both accurate and didn't cause me offence.

Describing me as 'that middle-aged guy' might have been truer but it still

would have marked me as older than I want to be. In truth the word old,

from the teenagers perspective was accurate.

I suppose it’s mildly better than ‘the fat guy!’

I mistakenly said that last sentence out loud to my wife and she chuckled

as she pointed out that I was taking comfort in grading the possible

adjectives.

She was right: I was performing mental gymnastics trying to work out

whether it was better to be called balding than old.

I made the mistake of asking Mrs M what words she would find acceptable

about herself.

This was not a bad thing in and of itself but because it lead to my bride

asking the following question.

'How would you describe me?'

'A beautiful lady' I said, hoping that would put an end to it.

'Lady' she commented sounding a little disappointed 'that makes me sound

ancient'

'Well you are married to and old man' I replied.

Then as if we couldn’t find any more words my bride and I sighed at the

very same moment.