The times of our lives ....

I had an epiphany yesterday. Not a theophany, not a real revelation, but an epiphany nonetheless.

Somehow, I have gotten older.

And it stands off like black against white, especially when you are around a bunch of pumped-up college kids cheering their team on its way to the final four. But man, to have that kind of enthusiasm about something now.

I was at George Mason University's final pep rally before their team left for Indianapolis to play Florida in the men's college basketball tournament. There must have been 5,000 people crammed into the atrium of the Johnson Center on campus. And the music was pumping and the students, faculty, staff, and parents were all fired up for the Patriots to go against Florida.

As I looked around the room, and interviewed some of the students for the radio piece I was preparing, it hit me.Some of these kids could be my child! Not that I have any children, but had I had children in my mid-20s like some people do they would be 18 now - college freshmen! Just like these kids.

And then it really hit me. I must look like some of these kids' dad! UGGGHHHGHGHGGHHGHHHH! I look like their DAD!

When these students were born (some of them) the top 10 songs on the Billboard chart were:

*1 FAITH, George Michael (Columbia) (#1, Dec 1987)
*2 NEED YOU TONIGHT, INXS (Atlantic) (#1, Jan)
*3 GOT MY MIND SET ON YOU, George Harrison (Dark Horse) (#1, Jan)*4 NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP, Rick Astley (RCA) (#1, March)
*5 SWEET CHILD O' MINE, Guns N' Roses (Geffen) (#1, Sept)
*6 SO EMOTIONAL, Whitney Houston (Arista) (#1, Jan)
*7 HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH, Belinda Carlisle (MCA)(#1, Dec 1987)
*8 COULD'VE BEEN, Tiffany (MCA) (#1, Feb)
*9 HANDS TO HEAVEN, Breathe (A&M) (#2, Aug)
*10 ROLL WITH IT, Steve Winwood (Virgin) (#1, July)

I have been riding down the highway tapping my fingers to some of these tunes recently. I was grooving to "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins today. But the students I talked to yesterday would probably not even know who Phil Collins is.

Even writing this post I feel like America's favorite old fart. Reminiscing about what my wife calls "my turn." Any time we see young people acting crazy she just looks at me and says "it's their turn." Their turn? They seem to be having a lot more fun in their turn than I had in mine! My turn sucked by comparison!

But hey, Sharon Stone is older than I am and she looks good! And people will be lining up to pay money to see her latest flick. So how about that!

But every body gets only one life. So I guess it behooves us to live it the way we will wish we had lived it when our turn is over.