The Crack in the Clock

I don't know whether I already went through the change of life that men do as they get older, or if I'm in the middle of that now, or if it hasn't hit me yet. I do know that I look at guys my age and think - I don't look THAT old. Then I look in the mirror at the same face that's looked back at me forever and I try to see what might be new; a wrinkle that's gotten a little deeper, a couple more gray mustache hairs, eyes that just look tired. I guess when I compare me to what I looked like twenty years ago I really do look aged. I still have ambitions for the future, and dreams of a younger man, but also there's a lack of energy that's crept up on me somewhere along the path and little aches and pains that don't go away as quickly as they used to. I'm starting to see through the eyes of the old people who stand around talking about their doctor visits and all the varieties of medication they're taking. If this isn't the start of a new stage of life then it's not far on the horizon.

We have a grandfather clock here in the dining room that I bought my wife for Christmas a few years ago. It has a crack in the door which has become more noticeable lately, and also the batteries started wearing down a year ago. It doesn't chime anymore, so I guess one of these days I'll change the battery and fix the door. You can do that to a clock and it will look good for a while longer... not new, but good. The face in the mirror isn't so easy to fix.