Thursday, December 22, 2016

To My Son on His 50th Birthday



So, this Friday my son turns fifty. He’s young and fit for his age.
When I turned fifty, I would have said the same for myself. Today
I am sixty-nine, only nineteen years past that golden landmark age.
Inevitably, one reaches a point when the deterioration process excels.

For me the downhill decline began notably at age sixty. My son’s
Age this Friday actually says a lot more about me and my precarious
Condition. Understand that the aging process is not predicated exclu-
Sively on genetic predisposition. Other biological factors apply.

It’s a fact that my smoking and former alcohol abuse have erased
Many years of good health which I may have enjoyed otherwise.
Fortunately for my son, marching in his fifth-decade parade, he has
Neither subscribed to nor applied my insidiously ruinous behaviors.

Be that as it may, and should my humble advise be asked at this
Momentous time in both our lives, I would have to say to my son
Of fifty-years—Enjoy what you have now, but pay attention, pay
Close attention to that metabolic time clock. Behave accordingly.

You may have but nineteen more years to learn. Then, who can say?
With pesky minor maladies (and a couple of arthritic knees), you may
Indeed go on to hobble across the landscape of an entire century.


Chris Hanch 12-22-16

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