Is there anything to be learned from an old man?

After an exhaustive search(23 seconds on Google), I discovered that the median age in the USA for humans is 38.1 years old.

Since I recently turned 57, I am technically old enough to be everyone’s daddy. As everyone’s self-appointed father figure, I considered it high time to interview myself and ask some really tough questions of me that might help my statistical children.

This is the interview of myself that followed some deep introspection and a longer nap.

The Interview with Myself

Getting Warmed Up

Me: Starting with a few softballs, what’s the best show you’ve watched on TV?

Me: I don’t need softballs, boy. At 57, there’s not much I haven’t seen, experienced, or settled in my spirit that I won’t suffer one day. But to be a cooperative interviewee, I will answer your nonsense. Hands down, the best show I’ve ever watched is Lonesome Dove, the 6-hour miniseries, not the TV show.

Me: Nice choice.

Me: Of course, you would say that.

Me: Next question. What’s on your Spotify playlist?

Me: Playlist? You mean playlists, don’t you? At 57, rapid mood swings require many music genres.

Me: Fair enough. Let’s go with today, then. What are we listening to today?

Me: VacaVibes.

Me: Hmm, what does VacaVibes say about our mood today?

Me: It’s Friday, and I’m ready for the weekend.

Me: Who is on our VacaVibes playlist?

Me: A little Buffett and a lot of Jack Johnson.

Me: Nice. Enough of the easy stuff. The young’uns need our deep thoughts.

Me: They need to watch Lonesome Dove.

Advice I Wish Someone Had Given Me

Me: Agreed, but another question. What advice do you wish someone would have given our younger self?

Me: (Long sigh) I wish someone would’ve instilled into me at a young age not to care about what other people think.

Me: Yeah, that’s a good one.

Me: Would’ve made high school a lot easier.

Me: What would have that changed for us?

Me: High school is tough. A lot of peer pressure, high-strung bullies, and raging hormones. If I had more confidence back then, any confidence at all, I could’ve diverted my energy from fretting over what people thought of me to developing and enjoying friendships, focusing on academics, and thinking about what I wanted to do with my life.

Me: That’s deep.

Me: We can go back to talking about what I’m watching on Netflix now.

Talking about My Biggest Regrets

Me: No, this is good. So, what is your biggest regret as a younger man?

Me: That’s a tough question because had anything happened differently, I wouldn’t have the life I do now. The butterfly effect or something like that, you know.

Me: Come on, give the people something.

Me: Regrets occur on different levels. For instance, financially, I regret ignoring the advice a man gave me to save and invest 10% of my income. My life would be completely different had I done that over the last 35 years. Professionally, I wish I had invested more time earlier in life discovering my purpose. It took me into my fifties before realizing that writing was more than a hobby.

Digging Into Personal Regrets

Me: You covered financially and professionally. What about personally?

Me: You sure are nosy.

Me: Just trying to be a thorough journalist.

Me: Well, here we go. Personally, I wish I had accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ much sooner. I had a church youth leader who prayed for me every day, and my sister tried talking to me once in college, but I ignored everyone, giving in to worldly and selfish pursuits. Now, I watch my 18-year-old son and wish I had been a Godly young man of high integrity like him.

Me: We ultimately became a Believer, so what was the harm in having a little fun first?

Me: No one knows when their number is up, and it’s only by God’s grace I survived some pretty stupid years.

Me: OK, I get that, but why is it our biggest personal regret?

Me: A couple of reasons. One, I would’ve cared more about people. Do unto others as you want to be treated and all that. Selfish people hurt others, and I know I did, too. Secondly, I would’ve had more time to enjoy knowing who I am in Christ. We talk about that in our book, Stronger Down the Stretch. Remember?

Me: I sure do. You kept us up late many nights writing it.

Me: Losing sleep didn’t hurt us any.

Final Question of the Interview

Me: No, I guess not. What else do you want to say to the kids?

Me: Don’t delay in accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior. It’s not just about avoiding Hell. It’s about joy, peace, and purpose here on earth. Secondly, think! Think about your life and what you want. Start early. Plan, don’t drift. Discover the life God has for you and live it. Finally, as you get married and start a family, remember that you have the rest of your life to work. You have only a few short years to enjoy your kids at home (which seem like minutes looking back). You have to provide for them, but keep it in proper balance. I’m sure most senior citizens who are rocking on the front porch of their assisted living centers would agree.

Me: That’s good advice.

Me: Any final words of advice for the kids?

Me: Yeah, don’t rent pigs.

Me: I see what you did there.

Wrapping It Up

I hope you enjoyed this interview with myself. Hopefully, my 57 years of hindsight gave you the slightest bit of enlightenment and encouragement. I’ll be back in twenty years to talk to myself about how we survived midlife. Stay tuned.

---

If you enjoyed this post and got value from it, please share it on your social media channels. Or at least copy and paste it and send it to a friend 🙂