Today, it defies description.

Recently many things from the past have been surfacing, applied in different times, towards different audiences, and with varying degrees of success.  Everything old is new again, except me, I guess, I am still old, but, last night I stopped briefly at the store, a task normally left to my wife, who is much hardier, and able to withstand the joys of holiday crowds, bustling, hustling, pushing, shoving, clawing, scratching, fighting relentlessly, ruthlessly, without mercy, for that bag of oyster shaped crackers, (right now part of the 10 for 10 deal) willing to trample all over the top of a humble, innocent, meek bystander who just happened to go with his wife for a "quick trip" to the store "to pick up a few things," and was foolish enough to be standing in front of the canned meats, (on sale this week, for the ridiculously low price of  *****, so low they won't let me publish it here).

What was I saying?   Oh yeah, anyway, last night I stopped and saw this woman wearing a sweat shirt emblazoned with "Today is the first day of the rest of your life."  It was flowery, ornate, and vibrantly colored, the sweatshirt was white, and pristine, and it was obviously new.  Someone had thought to take this simple sentiment, once used to signal rehabilitation, hope and change, and make a few quick bucks.  Good for them.

It did remind me of when I first remember seeing that saying, and how profoundly it affected me.  I was young, and impressionable, and it seemed, at first, a good omen, a sign that things could always get better, and there was a bright, sunny future waiting.  Wow, it seemed, at first, a great slogan.

But, then it struck me, today was the last day of the first part of my life.  I was no longer a child, years of responsibility lay ahead.  Alarm clocks, jobs, paychecks, mortgages, and crushing adulthood were to be my reward for successfully navigating the treacherous, slippery trail of childhood.

Then it hit me, like a lead brick, this was a sign, from the heavens, that my kids were getting older, and I had done a halfway respectable job of molding them into fine young men (or at least I had been smart enough to stay out of the way while my wife raised them correctly).  I had worked hard, and been a productive member of society, keeping a job, paying taxes, on the odd occasion, even voting.  And it was time to start thinking about the next chapter.

It is not easy to face this, there are troubling decisions to be made, and options need to be weighed, it can be difficult, and terrifying to reach this stage, but I made it this far, and with a little help I will get through the next bit.

So I ask you, Life Explained Nation.  Should I start planning a Second Childhood, or Mid Life Crisis?  Either way, it is going to be great!

And if I see that lady with that sweatshirt I will thank her.