Tag Archives: aging

by Anthony Baker | June 11, 2023 · 8:14 pm

How Time Passes!?

I know that what I am about to write, and you are possibly about to read is a tad disturbing and possibly a bummer. However, stick with me for a few minutes and try to follow my still developing thought.

On this day 32 years ago, my father passed away at work. He was 46 years old; I was 24. He died from a massive heart attack while working third-shift security.

This morning before Bible study began at church, several of the men and I were talking about our ages. One of the guys told me with a grin, “I can guarantee I am older than you.” He was wrong – I was two years older than him. I was older than all four sitting at that table… and I also thought they were older than me!

Age is a funny thing, for our actual age and how we feel are more often nowhere close to each other. I still feel in my 20’s, like time stood still when my dad died. I don’t feel 55. Yet, here I am, older than my father was when he died, even older than his father, my grandfather, when he died (age 53). My dad was 24 when his father died, so I wonder if that was the age he felt when he died.

It has now been longer since my father died than I lived up until that day. That feels weird. It also feels weird that I always think of my dad as older than me, no matter how old I get. Time stood still for him as well as it seems it did for me.

That leads me to think about heaven. What will it be like when we see those who have gone before us when we were young, yet now we are adults? The Bible does briefly address some of the question in the last half of 1 Corinthians 15. There, Paul talks about there being a difference in the body we shall receive compared to what we have now. Earthly attained age will evidently have little to no relevance.

Therefore, in conclusion of this thought, at least one thing will be true when we see our loved ones again in Heaven (if we trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior): the saying that “time will be no more” will have as much to do with age as it does the clock.

Your thoughts?

My Mid-Life Crisis

How are you? How are you doing? What’s up?

How do you respond when people check up on you? Do you respond differently to different people? Do you give different answers, some more transparent than others, depending on whom you can trust?

Well, I trust you. Yes, I do. For one reason, you are actually reading this when so many others couldn’t care less. You care enough to get past the introduction.

So, how am I doing? Not well.

I think it was my wife (I can’t remember) who asked me the other day, “Are you having a mid-life crisis?” “Maybe I am,” I replied. I haven’t researched it, so I don’t know. However, I would bet that a definition would include a picture of someone that looks eerily like me.

For one thing, five decades worth of mistakes, miscalculations, stupid decisions, and squandered opportunities continually plague my memories. It’s not that I sit around and meditate on my past until I think of something depressing; they are triggered by ordinary things like a store at the mall, a movie, a song, a smell, an event, an expression, etc. I can drive down one road and be hit with 10 regrets in the span of a mile.

Secondly, there’s all the things I could have done and should have done. Have I accomplished anything? Of course. But when I am in a group of others who’ve accomplished anything similar, I feel like a fake, an imposter. I should be able to fit in, but now I never feel worthy.

I’m not a spiritual giant or anything. I’m not that great of a speaker. I have a very hard time praying. And, based on my cumulative experience, I’m a lousy pastor. Yet, that is all I’ve ever really wanted to be. I wanted to be “man of the Book,” a man with worn knees, a figure behind the pulpit my children would tell their children about.

But here I am, pushing 56 years old, a new employee in an automotive factory, with no savings, no home, a literal antique car to drive, and no real desire to pastor another church.

Simply put, I don’t know who I am anymore. For that matter, I’m not sure I ever did.

I don’t know where life is going to find me 5 or 10 years from now. However, even though I may never be a leader of anything, I can strive to be a good follower of Jesus.

3 Comments

Filed under Christian Maturity, Depression, old age, maturity, self-worth

Tagged as adulting, aging, faith, mid-life, Religion

by Anthony Baker | December 24, 2019 · 3:38 pm

Time Passing By Too Quickly?

Only 6 Months

It’s June; he’s only six years old; and he’s just seen a commercial for the coolest, most awesome toy ever created by man. The problem is that Christmas is still 6 months away.

I could have used my grandaughter, Emma, for the illustration, but at less than a year old, she doesn’t have a concept of “6 months.” But ain’t she cute?

Little Billy (it’s always Billy, isn’t it?) asked, no pleaded with his mom and dad to immediately go to the toy store. He HAD to have it. But mom and dad, with words that bring tears to any kid’s eyes, calmly, cruelly said, “You’ll have to wait till Christmas.”

“What? NOOOO!” cried Billy. And so, in response to his anguish, what words did his dad choose to comfort poor Billy? “Now son, Christmas is only 6 months away.” Again, Billy cries out “NOOOO!”

What is Billy’s problem? To a child looking forward to the best day of the year, the day when his dreams will come true, six months seems like an eternity! Every day will pass by like snails on Valium.

Only 6 Months?

He’s only 60 years old. There are so many things he’d like to have done, but time just slipped away. Now it seems like every moment is picking up the pace. Time is flying by and he is scared.

Not long ago Bill went in for some tests, only to get a call from the doctor the next day. There were some results that needed to be talked about in person, so William was asked to come back into the office. With a sullen look, the oncologist said, “William, you’ve only got about 6 months to live.” Only 6 months?

Want to Slow Down Time?

For Billy, 6 months is an eternity. Nothing he can do will make time go by any quicker. It will seem like forever until Christmas.

For William, 6 months will seem like a blink of an eye. There will be nothing he can do to slow down the clock. Eternity will come knocking at his door.

How could William, then, become more like Billy? What would make William’s time seem like an eternity here on earth? The answer could be found in the truth of Colossians 3:2…”Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth.”

Oh, that our hearts could long for heaven the way we long for earthly pleasures! As a child longs for Christmas, why can’t we long for that celestial homecoming? The day that we set our affections on things above will be the day time down here slows down.

Need More Time?

Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” Watch the sands in your hour-glass multiply as you “look forward to a city whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10).

Wouldn’t it be great if we could look toward the end of our lives with the same expectation of a child longing for Christmas?

3 Comments

Filed under Christian Maturity, Christmas, Future, Life Lessons, the future

Tagged as aging, Billy, Christmas, devotional, time, William

by Anthony Baker | July 28, 2018 · 11:23 am

Haley’s 18th

I will write more, later.

I will post some pictures, later.

But right now we are going out geocaching and having fun as a family.

Not that I really enjoy geocaching so much,

but because…

It’s my youngest baby’s 18th birthday,

and that is what she wants to do.

Happy birthday, Haley Brianna Baker!

We love you!

4 Comments

Filed under Relationships and Family

Tagged as aging, Birthday, children, Parenting

by Anthony Baker | September 19, 2017 · 10:27 am

But I’m Still 25, and Less

On Sunday I turned 50.

There wasn’t too much fanfare, especially since my wife was still in the hospital that morning. However, I did get a nice card from my church and a wonderful church-lady-prepared dinner afterwards. Later that night I also got a free meal at a local restaurant, along with a unique gift sure to set me apart from the locals this winter – a set of Nordic woolen underwear (literally from Norway, not the restaurant).

Today I turned 50+2, but that’s the end of looking at it that way. Today I’m letting the whole world know I am not 50 years old – I’m 25, and less.

Seriously, I am a 25-year-old trapped in a 50-year-old’s body.

Forget what the numbers add up to when you look at my government-issued driver’s license (for which I’ve just gone through a roll-full of red tape to renew)- I’m 25, so just affirm it.

You see, even though this body of mine looks like a handsome, graying, bald man, I’m really a young man with healthy joints trapped inside. Unfortunately, no age-reversing creams or surgeries can help me look like what I really am, so you are going to have to accept me for who I choose to be – young and millennial.

But there’s more!

Even though I am only 25, there’s another me that’s trapped inside the 25-year-old me… it’s the fluid-aged me.

(Yes, I know it’s complicated, but there has to be boundaries, you understand. I can’t keep my job as a school bus driver in Tennessee if my true self fluctuates below the legal bus-driving age of 25.)

This other me (and what’s wrong with more than one?) can get down on the floor and play with blocks, color with crayons, play with Silly Putty, and throw food at people when they aren’t looking. It’s the same me inside of me that tends to make strange noises with my body and blame it on spiders; or make other kids laugh and get in trouble with their teachers, but never own up to causing it.

The me inside of the 25-year-old me varies from age to age, but that’s typically based on which toy aisle I’m visiting.

So, again, I’m no longer going to simply identify as a 50-year-old man, but a bi-personage with both fixed and fluid younger ages. Those of you who rate life and health insurance should take note and lower said rates accordingly.

However, should the military draft ever be re-instated, and should the 25-year-old me receive a letter, just understand that you might be putting an AR-15 in the hands of an 8-year-old, also.

Being 50 on the outside does have some advantages, I suppose.

6 Comments

Filed under current events, General Observations, Humor

Tagged as age, aging, birthdays, Humor

by Anthony Baker | February 12, 2017 · 10:12 am

Happy Birthday, Valentine!

valerie Today is my wife’s 50th birthday! Yes, she is 50, and I don’t care to tell people about it.

Does she care? I don’t think so. Why? Because she is the type that constantly quotes the words of Paul to the Thessalonians…she even concludes her emails with these verses:

Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

So, Happy Birthday to Valerie (because she was born so close to Valentine’s Day), the greatest Valentine a man could have ever received!

“Happy birthday, you’re so nifty, even if you’re hitting fifty! / Valerie, my Valentine, I’m so very glad you’re mine!”

Cheesy poetry is better than no poetry, right?

1 Comment

Filed under Christian Maturity, Marriage, Relationships and Family

Tagged as aging, Birthday, love, valentine

by Anthony Baker | September 20, 2016 · 9:46 pm

The Aging Mr. Potato

The Gift

Last year for my birthday our foreign exchange student from South Korea took it upon herself to make me a present. Because of the resemblance between my bald head and a potato, she hand-crafted a Mr. Potato Head from a REAL potato.

Being Sentimental

Because I am a sentimental kind of guy, I hate getting rid of gifts, especially the hand-made kind. Therefore, even though the birthday gift was made from a potato, I just couldn’t toss it; I let it lie on my computer desk on top of some CD cases.

A few months later I took the following picture.

People never thought a potato would simply age without rotting, but mine did. And not only did it age without stinking, it did something I have not been able to accomplish with age…

…grow hair!

Spud Mirroring Life

Is it “life mirrors fiction,” or “fiction mirrors life”? I don’t know. But one thing I do know is that potatoes evidently mirror my life.

As potatoes age they grow hair, but the hair seems to come out of places other than just the scalp. That’s a lot like real life…like my life. Between my nose and ears I could replace what disappeared from up top.

Another way the aging potato mirrors real life is in the way it shrinks. Even though the mid-section around us guys may increase, over time we all shrivel up into the wrinkled raisin-like reflection of what we used to be.

Aging is not always a pretty thing to watch, but it is something that is happening all the time. We start off young, but we get old. We start off with a whole life ahead of us, then we find ourselves contemplating the look of our tombstones. For some it only takes a short time, like with Mr. Potato; for others it takes multiple decades.

The results are always the same…we wither and fade away.

For all flesh is as grass [or potatoes], and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: – 1Peter 1:24

But there is hope!

But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. – 1 Peter 1:25

Now, do I bury the poor tater? Or hold on to him another year? You tell me.

2 Comments

Filed under Christian Maturity, Life/Death

Tagged as aging, death, life, maturity, potatoes

by Anthony Baker | May 4, 2015 · 9:52 am

Secrets to a Long Life

Morning Questions

I don’t know what it is about Monday mornings and the questions kids want to ask while I am driving. Something must happen over the weekends which cause children to seek wise counsel from the school bus driver.

One question I got the other day was just too big for me. I mean, seriously, I laughed, shook my head, and ignored the kindergartner. He asked, “Mr. Baker, why is the world so big?” If I had answered truthfully and said, “Because that’s the way God made it,” then I would have been fired. So, since I couldn’t think of anything overly stupid with which to respond, I stayed silent.

However, this morning, there was a question I had to answer. This morning a young girl got on the bus and asked, “Mr. Baker, do you know the secret to living a long life?” “Well, there are several secrets, but what’t the one you know?”

“Play the harmonica,” she replied.

“Play the harmonica?”

“Yes,” she said matter-of-factly. “Because playing the harmonica will help your lungs, and strong lungs will help you live longer.”

“Is that so?” I asked. “Yep,” answered the little girl.

“Well,” I replied, “my daddy played the harmonica, and he’s dead.”

My Secrets

OK, so I’ve never been convicted for the over use of tact. Sometimes I am too brutally honest for my own good (so my wife says). Other times, however, I can be sweet and compassionate – just not this morning, evidently.

Anyway, this morning’s question got me to thinking. Could I come up with some secrets for living a long life?

10 Secrets to Living a Long Life (by someone who hasn’t yet died):

Never pull the trigger when it’s pointed at you.
Never smoke more than 3 cigars in an hour.
Never jump from a moving vehicle if it’s moving through the air.
Never corner a rock badger.
Drink at least 3 glasses of something a week.
Eat food.
Don’t drive drunk, or with a teenage girl with directional issues.
Breath regularly, except in the tourist’s bathroom at the Bush’s Baked Bean factory.
Hide all sharp objects, scissors, and ammunition before going to bed with an angry wife.
Drink excessive amounts of coffee.

Serious Secrets

Now that you have my secrets for living a long, not necessarily healthy, life, what does the Bible say about long life? What kind of “secrets” can we find hidden in that wonderful book of Wisdom?

5 Biblical Secrets to Long Life

Obey and honor your parents (Deut. 5:16; Eph. 6:1-3).
Don’t mess around with another person’s spouse (Prov. 6:29-35).
“Keep my commandments, and live…” (Prov. 7:2).
“Forsake the foolish, and live…” (Prov. 9:6).
Repent of your sins and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior – that’s the secret to ETERNAL life (John 3:15-16; 10:28; Rom. 6:23).

So, what are your secrets to living a long life? Do you have any more to share with us? Leave them in the comment section so we can all learn to live a little longer 😉

5 Comments

Filed under Christian Living, Humor, Life Lessons, Life/Death

Tagged as aging, Health, Long Life, Secrets

by Anthony Baker | October 23, 2011 · 12:01 am