The last few months I have come to the above titled realization. Being the sports enthusiast I am, I always equate my age to basketball jersey numbers. I first thought I was old when I hit Lawrence Moten and Robert Brickey level, some of my favorite college players of all-time.
But, in actuality I was just foolish. I would say that I started to come to that conclusion and turned toward “adulthood” at MJ level. When I turned 23 I realized that I could no longer stay up past midnight and wake up like I had just received 9 hours of sleep. Perhaps this could have been avoided if I could sleep in, but I had this other new found responsibility called a job and soon a marriage. 
From the MJ level until my current Reggie Level, I aged and matured like a fine wine. I learned many things (good and bad), experienced many new things (good and bad) and came into my present state of being (good or bad- depending on who you ask). During this era the Red Sox won the series (twice), I got married and had two kids, worked for three different companies, got a dog, purchased a home, sold a home, purchased another home and remodeled it, the Colts won the Super Bowl, the Colts lost the Super Bowl, IU started a basketball season with two scholarship players, IU ended a football season with a Bowl game in Arizona (I know what your thinking, but not the Fiesta Bowl), I fell back in love with music, developed new and old friendships and there were countless other instances that I could name. I have not developed a suitable name for this era of my life (from MJ to Reggie), but am open to ideas. It really transformed and shaped me for what is to come. 
Getting back to the title of this post…… Just the other day, as in the last few months, I have been deep in reflection. Many times I ask why my life is difficult and trying. I know what you are thinking and you are right. I am being a righteous, pompous asshole. Just look at the paragraph above Reggie. That is a small sample. I have been blessed with so many great things and people in my life. So many great experiences and relationships cultivated over the years. In reality I know that I have been fortunate. I have a caring and beautiful wife, great kids, stellar family and friends. I do not want to get all sappy and/or patriotic, but I am thankful to be an American and for the opportunities my family and friends have made available to me. Sorry for the digression, now back to the post. Two-thousand and eleven has really brought this age and maturity thing to the forefront of my mind. Sadly, I am finally coming to the realization that I am not invincible. For you grammarians reading this- notice that I used the word “coming” to signify present perfect tense. Hence, I am still kind of invincible. I can not give up on that completely just yet; at least not until I hit Calbert Cheaney level. 
Just today I had to leave work a bit early to meet a repairman at my house and something happened that made me feel old. My son was overly friendly with the “workman” he had never met and asked him to sit next to him and watch Barney. I found myself thinking what if I was not here and this guy was some kind of pervert (editors note: the workman, known as Michael, was nice as could be and a perfect gentleman). Immediately after this thought I realized that I was becoming old and a worry wart. Fast forward a few hours….. My wife ventures out for the evening to watch the Women’s National Championship with her parents and sister. Luckily for me, she put our son to bed before I left and made sure I was equipped for the night to take care of our daughter and put her to bed. An easy task that I must say was preformed flawlessly. After putting our daughter to sleep I ventured outside in the dark to finish some unfinished yardwork. This became another indicator that I am old. Even with the power of my headlights I still could hardly see well enough to even spread mulch. I gave up and came inside to watch the game and get some much needed nourishment. The only problem was I was not hungry for a snack and I wanted a meal. It was at this point that I realized just how much my wife does for me. I can make a meal for myself and be perfectly happy, but I take for granted the fact that my wife does this all the time. Over the last eight years I have forgotten how to eat by myself. I know how to make drinks or grab a beer, but anything that requires more than a microwave and sometimes a grill has become a formidable task. Please do not think this stops at food. That is only the beginning. Do not get me wrong I can easily sustain life on my own, but that life is kind of bland and empty. Abby brings the subject matter to the relationship and allows it to grow. I guess the jist of this post is that I am old, I love my wife, I love my family; and even though I dislike the player, I look forward to the Magic level: what it brings and beyond. 
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