Less than six months ago I discovered the power of going to sleep and waking up early. Truly this was not something I had on my bingo card but I'll never go back. I get so much more out of being awake early than staying up late.
My getting older advice is: take care of your feet! Your feet are these incredible, complex, critical pieces of infrastructure and Americans largely just ignore them. Try to spend a couple minutes a day exercising your feet. Stop wearing pointy shoes that aren't shaped like a foot. Invest in your feet and the entire rest of your body will thank you for years- if not for the rest of your life.
I Love the feet advice. I'm desperately trying to find good shoes for all our summer travel/wedding photography that "feel" like me in style, but also take care of my feet. My checkered Vans just hurt too much at the end of the day of standing on my feet :(
I have found that finding style and function is the hardest in shoes! Check out the Lems brand 'Men's Drifter'. It's a slip on, similar style to the Van's and has the foot shaped toebox. Lems is a great brand and does a decent job of making comfortable shoes that look decent.
Happy Happy TKG! I had the fleeting notion of gifting you with just that amount of brevity in my comment (lol), but instead decided that I will commit to support you again the next time my annual renewal comes around. So, my thought on aging is timely, because it centers on the realization that maybe it’s time to give someone else the chance at life’s “championing moments” (my own made-up-word). As we age, the notion that we can step back and let someone else lead the team, is often the best way to winning the big game of life. We already had our shot at awesome opportunities for scoring and winning, when we were younger. So, perhaps our best play for being allowed to have this much “playing time” is to give those younger, their own shot at leading the team. Now in the fourth quarter of my big game of life, I am witness to the fatigue and aches that any long match brings on a body. Though I have retain the wisdom and experience to balance the knowledge of position over power, so to still get things done, albeit not in record time anymore. Even with some remaining super powers, the act of “passing the torch” is not so different than “giving it forward”, as it was done for us some time ago. Not an humbling act, but one of respect for the game. And while guiding new leaders may not keep us in the spotlight, it can keep us all in the game.
THANK YOU! The brevity would be amazing, but truthfully, I am HERE for your longer answers. They always fill this place with wisdom, and today is no exception. Truly. Thank you for this. All of it.
Happy Birthday Tyler!! I hope your day was absolute magic!! And heck ya to embracing our mid forties!
I’m with you on the early bedtimes and early mornings! Even today, on Sunday I still find myself waking up before I actually need to get out of bed but it’s nice to watch the sunrise, feed my chickens and the morning doves who have decided to join our flock, talk to the squirrels and iguanas in the trees above, before making a coffee and heading back to bed to enjoy my Sunday morning ritual of listening to these essays!
I think because I work with young people getting older has empowered me to become more confident in my wisdom. I feel like I am in a place where I can guide and inspire them so much more now. And at the same time, appreciate those mentors and loved ones who inspire and guide me with a deeper sense of empathy and understanding. It finally feels like I actually know what the fuck I’m talking about! Sometimes at least!
I listen to my body more and try to take care of her better. Elise is so right about taking care of our feet! But damn those knees and hips too! I realize that like a car, we need regular maintenance and upkeep if we want to make it to the classic stage of life with all our working parts and engines revving! Side note, we you have to start upgrading from root canals to crowns, Guatemala is your dental vacation destination! So good. So cheap! This goes for all of you here! I have great connections and first hand experience!
And finally I am so grateful for the rapidly declining amount of fucks in my possession! Having been a people pleaser far too consumed by what others may think of me to the point of social anxiety, I love the realization that it’s none of my business what other people think about me!! It’s a process and I still do carry a hefty bag of fucks but it’s not the burdensome sack of lead coated fucks it once was. More like light weight titanium fucks. They’re still super strong, but easier to carry around and hurl off cliffs.
So cheers to you, and your next turn around the sun! May we all continue to grow wiser and stronger in our love and our convictions with each new year!
My day was filled with photographing a last-minute wedding about an hour outside of town haha. Not super glamorous but it was fine :) ALL of this is so amazing, and to hear that the amount of fucks you own is in a serious downturn might be the very best gift you could give me hahaha. Here's to YOU.
Getting older isn't really all that bad. I agree with you on the "giving fewer fucks". That, to me, is the BEST part of getting older. Do what is best for YOU (and those in your inner circle). Saying, "no", is liberating. Doing things that you didn't want to do in the first place is highly overrated! For me, getting older has given me the opportunity to try something new (moving to another country!). It seems risky and challenging. It is. But, I give fewer fucks about what it "seems". I want to give it a try. Our home will always be in Wisconsin (our family, our roots). I want to meet new people and try new things and not regret that we didn't.
I hope that you continue to enjoy your adventurous spirit with travel (you don't have to move!). Enjoy the journeys that come with a wonderful trip (for work, play, or both)!
Many many thanks! And yep, living life more fuck-less is the key to joy, I am confident of it. Here's to the No's, we have been waiting a lifetime to feel comfortable saying!
Happy belated birthday! Definitely fewer fucks for me as I age. Just recently retired (like a week ago!), I want to enjoy the gift of time and be open to where life takes me- which might simply mean more time on the couch reading- definitely not planning to run a marathon although keeping fit and active are essential. I must learn to try the earlier bedtime- sleeping in does not have the same effect.
Happy birthday!! I loved this. Recently, I decided I wanted to be someone who aged with grace. Someone who didn’t complain about feeling old and irrelevant and make it “poor me” to those around me (not that anything at all is wrong with voicing the challenges of aging) but I wanted to be someone who owned my age proudly.
I’m still pretty young, but having adopted this mindset now makes getting older feel more like an honor and less like a loss.
Dammit, TKG. I Renewed & paid an extra 46AUD on your Sydney Birthday.
Did you discover the meaning of life last year? 42 & Adams. Never not a Hitchhiker.
Each day is a gift. Only a narcissistic jerk is unable to see it for the gift that it is. You have air in your lungs; clean water; access to health care & electricity & food.
THANK YOU! And I found that 42 provided the exact same level of satisfaction that Arthur and Ford found when they first heard the answer was, in fact, 42. :) No answers, only questions, but I think this is the way of things.
Happy, happy (belated) birthday, dear Tyler! I love these so much. It's a beautiful thing, giving less of a fuck, and I've really started to embrace it here in my late thirties. And hells yes to early bedtimes and early mornings!
Happy belated birthday Tyler! I think the anniversary of your birth is worth celebrating. Maybe with a cake fashioned out of smooshed CTCs? Maybe even at 9pm.
You're the very best brother, and I love you so. I'd say I cannot even really have a top 5 cereals, as all I ever eat is CTC. But if I had to, hmmmm....perhaps: CTC, Cap'n Crunch Berries, Peanut Butter Puffins, Fruity Pebbles, and normal Cap'n Crunch. :)
Happy belated YOU day! Enjoy your next trip around the sun. [hug]
As to aging, hip replacements are not something to be afraid of. My life changed so much when it became a life without pain. Highly recommended if needed.
I'm still in the process of embracing 'no fucks given' but it is a wonderful thing indeed.
I am also coming to terms with the shape of my body ... talk about no giving a fuck. It's taking some work to drop the body shaming, but with neurolinguistics, I'm on the way to really believing I have a beautiful body. It's so rad, because so does EVERYONE else! [I recommend going to a nude beach if you have body issues. It's a great ground leveler. :-)]
Time is where I feel my age the most, but that has a lot to do with working full-time in retail.
Over all ... aging is ok. Not quite rad. But then, I refuse to feel 64 is old.
Happy Belated Birthday!! I am so behind on emails and trying to catch up with all the happenings in this beautiful community. I really loved this piece. Nighttime cereal is PEAK adulthood. Hands down. I too love eating cereal all times of the day (but isn't it somehow tastier at night?). I'm a Honey Nut Cheerios gal myself. Sometimes there's milk involved, sometimes I'm just popping them in my mouth dry. It's such a simple pleasure.
Less than six months ago I discovered the power of going to sleep and waking up early. Truly this was not something I had on my bingo card but I'll never go back. I get so much more out of being awake early than staying up late.
My getting older advice is: take care of your feet! Your feet are these incredible, complex, critical pieces of infrastructure and Americans largely just ignore them. Try to spend a couple minutes a day exercising your feet. Stop wearing pointy shoes that aren't shaped like a foot. Invest in your feet and the entire rest of your body will thank you for years- if not for the rest of your life.
I Love the feet advice. I'm desperately trying to find good shoes for all our summer travel/wedding photography that "feel" like me in style, but also take care of my feet. My checkered Vans just hurt too much at the end of the day of standing on my feet :(
I have found that finding style and function is the hardest in shoes! Check out the Lems brand 'Men's Drifter'. It's a slip on, similar style to the Van's and has the foot shaped toebox. Lems is a great brand and does a decent job of making comfortable shoes that look decent.
I'm on it! Thank you for the heads up. Or, Foot's up I guess?
Happy Happy TKG! I had the fleeting notion of gifting you with just that amount of brevity in my comment (lol), but instead decided that I will commit to support you again the next time my annual renewal comes around. So, my thought on aging is timely, because it centers on the realization that maybe it’s time to give someone else the chance at life’s “championing moments” (my own made-up-word). As we age, the notion that we can step back and let someone else lead the team, is often the best way to winning the big game of life. We already had our shot at awesome opportunities for scoring and winning, when we were younger. So, perhaps our best play for being allowed to have this much “playing time” is to give those younger, their own shot at leading the team. Now in the fourth quarter of my big game of life, I am witness to the fatigue and aches that any long match brings on a body. Though I have retain the wisdom and experience to balance the knowledge of position over power, so to still get things done, albeit not in record time anymore. Even with some remaining super powers, the act of “passing the torch” is not so different than “giving it forward”, as it was done for us some time ago. Not an humbling act, but one of respect for the game. And while guiding new leaders may not keep us in the spotlight, it can keep us all in the game.
THANK YOU! The brevity would be amazing, but truthfully, I am HERE for your longer answers. They always fill this place with wisdom, and today is no exception. Truly. Thank you for this. All of it.
Happy Birthday Tyler!! I hope your day was absolute magic!! And heck ya to embracing our mid forties!
I’m with you on the early bedtimes and early mornings! Even today, on Sunday I still find myself waking up before I actually need to get out of bed but it’s nice to watch the sunrise, feed my chickens and the morning doves who have decided to join our flock, talk to the squirrels and iguanas in the trees above, before making a coffee and heading back to bed to enjoy my Sunday morning ritual of listening to these essays!
I think because I work with young people getting older has empowered me to become more confident in my wisdom. I feel like I am in a place where I can guide and inspire them so much more now. And at the same time, appreciate those mentors and loved ones who inspire and guide me with a deeper sense of empathy and understanding. It finally feels like I actually know what the fuck I’m talking about! Sometimes at least!
I listen to my body more and try to take care of her better. Elise is so right about taking care of our feet! But damn those knees and hips too! I realize that like a car, we need regular maintenance and upkeep if we want to make it to the classic stage of life with all our working parts and engines revving! Side note, we you have to start upgrading from root canals to crowns, Guatemala is your dental vacation destination! So good. So cheap! This goes for all of you here! I have great connections and first hand experience!
And finally I am so grateful for the rapidly declining amount of fucks in my possession! Having been a people pleaser far too consumed by what others may think of me to the point of social anxiety, I love the realization that it’s none of my business what other people think about me!! It’s a process and I still do carry a hefty bag of fucks but it’s not the burdensome sack of lead coated fucks it once was. More like light weight titanium fucks. They’re still super strong, but easier to carry around and hurl off cliffs.
So cheers to you, and your next turn around the sun! May we all continue to grow wiser and stronger in our love and our convictions with each new year!
My day was filled with photographing a last-minute wedding about an hour outside of town haha. Not super glamorous but it was fine :) ALL of this is so amazing, and to hear that the amount of fucks you own is in a serious downturn might be the very best gift you could give me hahaha. Here's to YOU.
May your year be full of love, adventure, and the peace found in 9pm cereal.
:) You're amazing, so happy you're here with us.
Happy belated birthday!
Getting older isn't really all that bad. I agree with you on the "giving fewer fucks". That, to me, is the BEST part of getting older. Do what is best for YOU (and those in your inner circle). Saying, "no", is liberating. Doing things that you didn't want to do in the first place is highly overrated! For me, getting older has given me the opportunity to try something new (moving to another country!). It seems risky and challenging. It is. But, I give fewer fucks about what it "seems". I want to give it a try. Our home will always be in Wisconsin (our family, our roots). I want to meet new people and try new things and not regret that we didn't.
I hope that you continue to enjoy your adventurous spirit with travel (you don't have to move!). Enjoy the journeys that come with a wonderful trip (for work, play, or both)!
EnJOY!
Many many thanks! And yep, living life more fuck-less is the key to joy, I am confident of it. Here's to the No's, we have been waiting a lifetime to feel comfortable saying!
Happy belated birthday! Definitely fewer fucks for me as I age. Just recently retired (like a week ago!), I want to enjoy the gift of time and be open to where life takes me- which might simply mean more time on the couch reading- definitely not planning to run a marathon although keeping fit and active are essential. I must learn to try the earlier bedtime- sleeping in does not have the same effect.
Maybe you can get some jorts & church shoes & vibe with my m8s across the ditch - https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9JHIUqhTQG/?igsh=Y2F6OHRxNGM5NXpm
I hope the Retirement chapter is wonderful.
CONGRATULATIONS ON RETIREMENT! WAHOO!!! Please always let us know how you're filling your free hours!
Happy birthday!! I loved this. Recently, I decided I wanted to be someone who aged with grace. Someone who didn’t complain about feeling old and irrelevant and make it “poor me” to those around me (not that anything at all is wrong with voicing the challenges of aging) but I wanted to be someone who owned my age proudly.
I’m still pretty young, but having adopted this mindset now makes getting older feel more like an honor and less like a loss.
"Aged with grace," is such a stunning target to aim for. I have full confidence that will happen. The honor, never the loss. ;)
Dammit, TKG. I Renewed & paid an extra 46AUD on your Sydney Birthday.
Did you discover the meaning of life last year? 42 & Adams. Never not a Hitchhiker.
Each day is a gift. Only a narcissistic jerk is unable to see it for the gift that it is. You have air in your lungs; clean water; access to health care & electricity & food.
Act like it.
THANK YOU! And I found that 42 provided the exact same level of satisfaction that Arthur and Ford found when they first heard the answer was, in fact, 42. :) No answers, only questions, but I think this is the way of things.
Happy, happy (belated) birthday, dear Tyler! I love these so much. It's a beautiful thing, giving less of a fuck, and I've really started to embrace it here in my late thirties. And hells yes to early bedtimes and early mornings!
Thank you so very, very much. I adore having you here.
Happy belated birthday Tyler! I think the anniversary of your birth is worth celebrating. Maybe with a cake fashioned out of smooshed CTCs? Maybe even at 9pm.
If you say it is Kit, I'll believe you :) I just ate a BIG bowl of cereal when I got home from shooting a wedding. Tasted magic.
My brother…THE T K F’N G!!!
Happy Birthday my dude!!!
I just had a conversation last week about dinner cereal and my response was…”oh hell yeah!”
I do ask in honor of Nick Hornsby’s High Fidelity top 5 lists…please share your top 5 cereals (besides CTC…yum!)
Tyler, birthday KING
Your crown, a chasing of light
Never to cease its glow
Love you man!
You're the very best brother, and I love you so. I'd say I cannot even really have a top 5 cereals, as all I ever eat is CTC. But if I had to, hmmmm....perhaps: CTC, Cap'n Crunch Berries, Peanut Butter Puffins, Fruity Pebbles, and normal Cap'n Crunch. :)
Love me some Cap’n Crunch Crunch Berries!!! And the way it tears up the roof of your mouth!!! 😂
Happy day of your birth! You will always be one of my best gifts! I loved this one
YOU should be the one being celebrated :)
Happy belated YOU day! Enjoy your next trip around the sun. [hug]
As to aging, hip replacements are not something to be afraid of. My life changed so much when it became a life without pain. Highly recommended if needed.
I'm still in the process of embracing 'no fucks given' but it is a wonderful thing indeed.
I am also coming to terms with the shape of my body ... talk about no giving a fuck. It's taking some work to drop the body shaming, but with neurolinguistics, I'm on the way to really believing I have a beautiful body. It's so rad, because so does EVERYONE else! [I recommend going to a nude beach if you have body issues. It's a great ground leveler. :-)]
Time is where I feel my age the most, but that has a lot to do with working full-time in retail.
Over all ... aging is ok. Not quite rad. But then, I refuse to feel 64 is old.
THANK YOU! A life without pain is always what I'm aiming at. Thank you for this beautiful reminder to always feel as young as we wanna feel.
Happy Belated Birthday!! I am so behind on emails and trying to catch up with all the happenings in this beautiful community. I really loved this piece. Nighttime cereal is PEAK adulthood. Hands down. I too love eating cereal all times of the day (but isn't it somehow tastier at night?). I'm a Honey Nut Cheerios gal myself. Sometimes there's milk involved, sometimes I'm just popping them in my mouth dry. It's such a simple pleasure.
PEAK for sure. And I Love the simplicity that is the pairing of adulthood and cereal. So deceptively simple, so stunningly elegant. :)
"Deceptively simple and stunningly elegant"...I love that phrase!!!