Someone asked me if I missed being young as I approached my 30th high school reunion. This was my response:
I'm not a jug of fruit juice; I am a fine red wine. I'm a rock band poster; I am a classic painting. I'm not dime store necklace; I am a rare gem. I'm not a can of light beer; I am a decanter of fine cognac.
I have not turned sour or faded or rusted or gone flat. My life encounters have earned me every gray hair. Smooth skin only means you're too young to appreciate what is ahead. My suffereings and joys and knowledge and experience have each left their mark on me by way of a wrinkle or spot or line or scar. Each is a memory of an event that has made me who I am today. I can't change those occasions, nor would I if I could.
Thad James