He's an OLD man!

He's old now. Half a century old.

Happy 50th birthday to my dad!

There was a time when my dad used to dye his hair to hide all his grey hairs and make him look younger. I hated that. I thought it was kind of silly for a 45 year old man to walk around with a full head of jet black hair. So I would hint to him that perhaps it was time he quit doing that. Silver hair looks kind of dapper and dignified.

I don't know why people have this fear of growing old. Personally I can't wait.

By the time he was 48, my dad listened to me and embraced his age. He quit dying his hair, and now he's got the whole salt and pepper thing going on for him. I think it's great.

As his hair has greyed, he's become more and more gentle and mellow. He walks slowly now and constantly tells jokes and exaggerated stories. He spends every Saturday working on the yard, and at the end of the day he eases himself onto his recliner chair to watch war flicks and documentaries. Sunday mornings he sleeps in.

I can't wait till my dad's hair turns all white and he's just an old, old man with thousands of stories to tell me.