Reality in the fullest.

   When I was a very young adult, my grandfather shared some startling news with me. It was so startling that I remember it as if it was yesterday.
   This was a man that almost always had a smile on his face, and a twinkle in his eye. He loved to play with us when we were kids, and I believed he never had a care in the world. He had a very positive attitude. He had been successful in his career, had a nice life, good kids, a successful marriage, and the whole bit.
   This is what he shared. He first told me that getting old was "hell". Then he proceeded to tell me that even though on the outside he appeared as an older person, on the inside he felt exactly as he had when he was 18. That if he didn't know better, he would believe he was still the same young man.
   At the time, I actually didn't believe him. Although I had never known him to lie, I felt he must be making all of it up.
   Now fast forward 30 years. Now I am experiencing his words from his side of the equation. Now I realize what he told me was exactly right an d true. Aging is an oddity, for although the outside changes drastically, the inside remains relatively unchanged.
   Thank you grampa for your truth, and for sharing it with me, even though at the time I was far to young to understand.