Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s that old guy staring back at you?

Another year in the books, my 54th trip around the sun, and I’m grateful.

But every year brings more lines to my face, and I have to wonder what kind of trick my mirror is playing on me as the years pass. As Aerosmith sang on their 1973 classic rock ballad Dream On: ‘Every time that I look in the mirror, all these lines on my face getting clearer.’

That used to be just a throwaway line I’d sing as the song came on my car radio over the years. Now, it’s more profound than ever.

My father once told me many years ago that you know you’re getting older when you can’t do something that you could 10 years earlier. I never really put much thought into that line either, but if that’s the measure of getting older, then my father is the wisest man ever.

Ten years ago, when I went to the health club, I used to go to town on the treadmill. I ran 30 miles a week, easy. I’d start by walking a quarter mile at 4.2 miles per hour, just to get warmed up. I’d eventually get it cranked up to over 7.2 as I pounded out the miles. Now, there’s little doubt it’s a comical sight to see when I put the treadmill at 4.2. My arms are flailing, I’m sweating profusely and I’ve often thought about the people around me and what they must be thinking as I’m a big hot mess at 4.2 mph for a quarter mile.

I’ve also noticed that I make the exact same noise sitting down that I do standing up. It’s a slow grunt, or moan. But, it’s the exact same going up or down.

I’ve often joked that sometimes I go to bed and feel just fine, only to wake up with a sprained ankle. But truthfully, there’s more creeks in my bones and pops in my knees than ever before.

I still try, as everyone does I suppose, to keep a youthful look. It gets harder, but I try. In the movie The Firm, Gene Hackman plays Avery Tolar, a much older attorney than his counterpart in Mitch McDeere, played by a younger, more handsome Tom Cruise. In one scene when Hackman is getting ready to go out on the town with Cruise, Hackman tells Cruise to grab a beer out of the fridge because he’s still getting ready.

“I’m trying to look as pretty as you, which I’m convinced I can,” Hackman said. “It just takes a little longer.”

I’ll keep plugging along, keep looking like an awkward wanna-be athlete on the treadmill, keep creaking and cracking as I stand up and sit down, and keep trying to look as young as possible.

But I’m grateful for the lines on my face. I think of the friends I’ve had over the years that have never had the opportunity to witness those lines creep onto their face. They’re all gone too soon.

So, bring it on, 2024. I’m ready for another year of being grateful and enjoying every second you grant me. I’ll even take another line or two, and I won’t blame my mirror.