So in two weeks I hit the big THREE OH. Very exciting. I am not particularly depressed about this because as Richard from Caroline in the City once said "No one takes you seriously in your 20s."
But it brings a few age related things to mind. The first is remembering the shock I felt when I realized that the Bears starting halfback was younger than me. More recently, I find myself really admiring a trio of teenagers and that bothers me more than I thought it would.
Freddy Adu is 14, he also has a $1 million Nike contract and was recently the #1 pick in the MLS draft (by DC United). This only after he turned down offers from several top European clubs.
Michelle Wei is 14. You might have seen her name in the news recently. She shot even par and missed the cut by one stroke at the opening PGA event in Hawaii. By the way, she was hitting from the men’s tees.
LeBron James. Even if you aren’t a follower of sports you probably know the guy. Just turned 19, starting guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers and had a $100 million in both salary and endorsements about 2 weeks after he graduated high school.
Granted, all of these are athletes, but there are other examples. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Cuban, my brother. Sheesh, seems like quite a few people managed to do some pretty amazing things in their pre 30s. So what’s a man to do?
But then I realize that its not all bad. I have a great life, in my own opinion, and I while there might be one or two things I’d like to go back and have another crack at, I can’t honestly say that I’m at all disapointed in how its played out.
So here’s to a great fourth decade of life and to taking all things in their turn.
