I Used to Be Somebody

Aging is an adventure few are prepared for because we never believe becoming older will happen to us. One minute young, the next not... and then begins the time in life when we begin to explore who we are, what it means to be "me," and what lies ahead in this journey we call aging. This adventure of getting older is humbling, frustrating, and often hilarious, as we're forced to define that person of our fading youth in new ways. Often, getting older means becoming invisible, and no matter how hard we fight back, time always wins, and we arrive at a realization there's more time behind us than ahead. This book, I Used to Be Somebody, was written for those of you contemplating your personal journey, your relevance in a world gone young, and are perhaps thinking of what will become of you as age into a person "of a certain age."

But getting older is also a humorous reality check by an unforgiving universe. The face in the mirror suddenly wrinkled, the hair a little grayer (if it is still there at all), and the voice inside screaming, "Hey, I'm still 30 in here no matter what this 60-year-old body says." Our kids have kids, the music that drove our youth are now background songs in the grocery store, dinners become late lunches we call dunches to make us feel better, and we get sleepy at 9:00.

If you're feeling your age tugging on the back of your pants, this book is for you-poetry for those up and over the other side of the hill.