Getting Old
I seem to age in a step-like fashion, whereby I go by at the same level until one day, boom, I'm at the next level. I know that's not actually the case but that's the impression I leave myself. It's always a little unsettling when I reach a new level, as if I suddenly aged years in a matter of a couple days.
Over the past few months I seem to have reached another level. For the first time in my life I realize I'm approaching middle age. And there is not really any fear or concern. Rather, it just seems weird. For I still picture myself as the 14 year-old kid playing basketball with neighborhood kids when I get home from school. I'd ask where the time has gone but I know where they gone and I'm quite content.
The weird aspect of this latest phase of aging is how I'm taking stock in my family. I realize they are not young anymore and with that comes a certain desire to be close to them. Since they all live in the Detroit area though, it's probably not gonna happen. Detroit is too messed up and too depressing for me to want to live there. But for the first time since I moved to Chicago, I've actually contemplated a move back to Detroit.
What all this means, I'm not sure. Guess it's just a part of the process called life. Kinda strange and in a weird way kinda cool.
Tags:
*Tom G*aging *old age *Detroit *Chicago
Over the past few months I seem to have reached another level. For the first time in my life I realize I'm approaching middle age. And there is not really any fear or concern. Rather, it just seems weird. For I still picture myself as the 14 year-old kid playing basketball with neighborhood kids when I get home from school. I'd ask where the time has gone but I know where they gone and I'm quite content.
The weird aspect of this latest phase of aging is how I'm taking stock in my family. I realize they are not young anymore and with that comes a certain desire to be close to them. Since they all live in the Detroit area though, it's probably not gonna happen. Detroit is too messed up and too depressing for me to want to live there. But for the first time since I moved to Chicago, I've actually contemplated a move back to Detroit.
What all this means, I'm not sure. Guess it's just a part of the process called life. Kinda strange and in a weird way kinda cool.
Tags:
*Tom G*aging *old age *Detroit *Chicago
posted by Tom G at 11/14/2007
1 Comments:
I think that suburban Detroit will always be home for us. It's familiar and a huge part of who we are.
Moving away kind of detaches us from many things. You end up missing a lot of family events and end up feeling like an outsider.
On the plus side, you end up having more quality time with people. It's easy to take things for granted when you can just drop in and see people whenever you want, but you also have to put up with their crap too.
I love my parents to death, but I think my mom would drive me crazy if I had to see her every couple of weeks. She can be demanding.
I think the bottom line is that you need to do what you need to do. My situation was somewhat similar to yours. There weren't a whole lot of jobs in metro Detroit. I could either work in an unsteady job market or move to one where I had some job security. Looking at my sister's unsteady employment, I probably made the right choice.
My only regret is that I chose to live in NJ. A 4 hour distance of my family would have been perfect. I probably should have looked at the Chicago area back in the day. Too late now. Maybe some day we can wind up in Pennsylvania. There's less shame living there and it's cheaper too.
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