A Lot of Things Change in 30 Years, A Lot of Things Don’t

Getting old is a fact of life, for those who live long enough to experience it. The older we get, a lot of things change - and a lot of things don't.

I received a jolt of reality the other day when my wife showed me a picture of myself 30 years from now. Initially, I felt a little let down. I told her I was hoping to wait until I get there to find out how I’m going to look at age 80.

But, thanks to  the Oldify app, anybody can see what they might look like in 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, or even more.

It made me think of how quickly 30 years can go by. In the picture above you see me at age 20, and then 30 years later at age 50, and finally, the real gut-wrencher, me in 30 years. In 30 years, a lot of things can change – but, a lot of things don’t.

Thirty years ago I was in college, getting married, and driving a 1979 Oldsmobile Starfire. I didn’t own a computer, cell phone, tablet, or a set of golf clubs.

On the radio I was listening to Foreigner, Billy Joel, Elton John, Phil Collins and Bryan Adams. Movies we were going to see included The Terminator, Police Academy,  and Star Trek III:Search For Spock.

Today part of my job is working for a university, I’m married (again) and driving a Ford F- 150. I have a laptop, a smart phone, a tablet, and a set of golf clubs.

On the radio, I’m still listening to Foreigner, Billy Joel, and Phil Collins, and I still watch  those same movies whenever they are on television.

What will I will be listening to 30 years from now? Hard to say, but I likely will be telling some young whipper snapper about the great music they played when I was growing up – real music. And, I’ll probably be telling them to turn down the volume.

As for movies, when I'm 80  I’ll probably be lucky to still be awake after the opening credits.

As far as technology goes, I’ll probably still have the same old lap top and still complaining about how slow it is. And I can only hope that at age 80 I’m still healthy enough to swing a golf club, unless, of course, by then I have heaved my entire set of clubs into the lake and have traded in my golf shoes for a bingo dauber.

Will I really look this way when I’m 80?? Only time will tell. I guess I’ll hold onto this photo and  if by some chance I make it to 80 we’ll do a side by side comparison and see how accurate it is.

In the mean time, a lot of things will continue to change. And, a lot of things won’t.