a time to chill

 At what age are you too old to be cool? I asked myself that question after my wife made a smart remark. You see we were doing the laundry and I have this pair of jeans. Now these jeans were originally the darker blue shade, you know like the traditional ones from when we were kids. Having been subjected to numerous washings they have become faded. The wife says it is time to throw them out. I protest saying, they are just getting to the cool stage. That's when the smart remarks begin. You're a little old to worry about cool. Well, I admit I was never too young to be cool, but too old? I can remember being keen, maybe that is a measure. Still it seems I was always cool! Well then again I remember when I first joined the Navy the first question the guys asked was, are you cool? That meant, did you smoke reefer or mary jane. See, I know all the cool lingo. I was hip to the scene man. Fact was I didn't smoke any of that stuff and only heard about it. Still I assured them all I was cool, just a little burned out man, maybe later. Hey, it's cool. Keep on truckin'.
 I do believe there comes a time in your life when you just can't pull off the latest in fad and fashion. Even if you still have that rockin' body you always had, it just doesn't work. There is a point where it looks silly, like you are tryin' just a little too hard. A time to chill Dude. I would suppose it is all a matter of perception. I think a guy with long hair, a ponytail hanging down and bald on top just looks sad. Give it up man, it's not that long beautiful hair from the age of Aquarius, it's more like Grecian formula days. Remember when we said, act your age? What was the implication there? The idea is that you should mature. Maturity comes with age right? Are maturity and fashion related? I'd say, yes and no. Age is just a number? Fashion defines time and place. I admit there are some that can carry fashion with them over time but they are far and few between. Thing is they aren't cool they are ageless. Isn't that what we say. She is ageless in her beauty. Men are distinguished! I'm thinking it is difficult to be distinguished in faded jeans and an old tee shirt. At what age should a man become distinguished? And is that why old men wear the waist of their pants at or above their belly button? Is that a mark of distinction?
 The real question to be answered here is, what defines cool. Is cool wearing the latest in fad and fashion. Is cool following the latest trends? Is cool really just being current with social attitudes and sensibilities. Or is cool an awareness of self. Not a vanity, not that kind of awareness, but rather a confidence. The confidence to be self aware of just who and what you represent. That kind of cool. When you have that kind of cool you are not a follower. That stems from a sincerity of emotion. You are not trying to hide anything, you are not trying to fit into the mold. It's a freedom. Strangely it doesn't come off as cool at all, sometimes quite the opposite. It is a cool that requires, dare I say it, aging. Yes, that sort of cool takes years to develop. It is a style that demands sincerity of emotion and sincerity of action.
 When my wife tried to tell me you are too old to worry about being cool she was speaking the truth. Cool doesn't require thought. Cool is an acquired thing. You don't need to worry about that, it just comes along. As for the jeans, I'm keeping them for now. I like them not so much for the fashion as for the comfort. They are broke in and soft as a lamb. Am I cool? Yeah man, I'm cool. Always was and always will be. I don't need to worry about that, I've reached that age where I can just chill.