“The Folks Inside”

(from the book Falling Up)
by Shel Silverstein

Inside you, boy,
There’s an old man sleepin’,
Dreamin,’ waitin’ for his chance
Inside you, girl,
There’s an old lady dozin’,
Wantin’ to show you a slower dance.

So keep on playin’,
Keep on runnin’,
Keep on jumpin’, til the day
That those old folks
Down inside you
Wake up…and come out to play.

This is one of my favorite poems by Shel Silverstein, and the older I get the more true it seems. I’ve often said to people that I feel like an 80 year old trapped in a 40 year old body. Unlike many people my age, I don’t keep my cell phone on 24/7, nor do I text (nor do I ever plan to). I like classical music. Although I like dressing fashionably, I prefer to dress for comfort. I don’t like staying out late. I prefer to be home by midnight (or earlier), and I don’t like to sleep too late in the morning. I also have to hold things farther from my face in order to see them in focus, and ‘being regular’ is something I appreciate more and more as I get older. In fact, I sort of look forward to old age, especially retirement. I plan to keep busy, but much prefer to live by my own schedule.