![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nosmallthing.net\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/beatles-64-150x150.jpeg\")
The duo of Lennon and McCartney composed some of the best lyrics of all time.<\/p>\nThe duo of Lennon and McCartney composed some of the best lyrics of all time.<\/p>\n
How so much could be captured in such a few short (very hum-able) syllables is amazing.<\/p>\n
Not only poetic and relatable in describing human emotions, they forwarded many simple truths about life.<\/p>\n
\u201cLove is all there is,\u201d\u00a0 \u201cLife goes on (ob-la-di, ob-la-da),\u201d and \u201cYou say you want a revolution. We all want to change the world,\u201d\u00a0 these come quickly to mind.<\/p>\n
But as I celebrated my 64th<\/sup> birthday just a few days after Thanksgiving, I felt like shouting, \u201cAha, Beatles, you were wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course,\u00a0 I am referring to their classic, \u201cWhen I\u2019m Sixty Four.\u201d<\/p>\n In a noble, romantic fashion, the words pay homage to love that endures. Like glasses raised in a toast, the lyrics seem to celebrate a type of belonging that can weather the physical changes age brings on and common antics performed to stave off feeling old. (\u201cIf I\u2019d been out till quarter to three, would you lock the door?\u201d)<\/p>\n The underlying message might be innocent enough, that aging is made easier when you have a partner going through the same process with you. Often, there are grandchildren and shared hobbies and trust. The feeling that your partner will be present for you in all situations is framed as a reward for longevity.<\/p>\n That\u2019s all fine, but it\u2019s the message that \u201csixty-four\u201d is old that I don\u2019t like.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve heard the quips about \u201csixty\u201d being the \u201cnew fifty,\u201d but \u2026<\/p>\n I feel like this song\u2019s words suggest that the goal of getting older is simply to enjoy the security you\u2019ve built, to enjoy some types of experiences you scrimped and saved for, or learn how to find pleasure in watching future generations get ready to take the proverbial \u201cwheel\u201d and steer civilization safely forward. (Okay, maybe they\u2019ll ask Siri.)<\/p>\n A friend of mine, whose strong-willed Italian \u201cnonna\u201d lived in her house while she was growing up, used to invoke an aphorism. Like most sayings, it sounds better in Italian, \u201cInvecicchiare \u00e9 brutto.\u201d\u00a0 Getting old is ugly<\/strong>. <\/em><\/p>\n My experience has been the opposite.<\/p>\n Yes, I have less hair where I\u2019d like it to be and find growth in unwelcome places, like my chin, but, for the most part, as I\u2019ve gotten older I\u2019ve been more truthful about my own feelings and more willing to express myself out loud.<\/p>\n Maybe I\u2019m thicker around the waist and when I watch TV commercials for antiaging skin creams, I actually wonder whether hyaluronic acid delivers on its claims. Maybe I\u2019m not as attractive as when I was thirty-two, but LIFE IS MORE BEAUTIFUL.<\/p>\n When making a decision, I take into consideration what might best serve all concerned, but my main focus is how to make myself<\/em><\/strong> happy. Until the past few years, I\u2019ve put so much energy into trying to please others. That\u2019s usually a recipe for unhappiness but it seemed a reasonable enough strategy for a long time.<\/p>\n I thought the approval of my family or school mates or work associates would make my path easier. It didn\u2019t. It doesn\u2019t work to expect that the approval of someone else will lift you up or bring you peace.<\/p>\n As I celebrated another year on earth, I felt compelled to look at lyrics to other Beatle songs. I lingered over the words to \u201cHello, Goodbye.\u201d In \u2018I don’t know why you say “Goodbye.” I say, “Hello,”\u2019 I thought about hearing words that mean the opposite of what you are saying echo back to you.<\/p>\n These days, my ability to pursue positives, to follow any impulse to say \u201chello\u201d to something despite anyone else\u2019s advice to be \u201crealistic\u201d is cherished. I try to live with hope and gratitude. I value my own truth.<\/p>\n Saying \u201cno,\u201d when I mean \u201cno\u201d is no small thing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The duo of Lennon and McCartney composed some of the best lyrics of all time….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4694,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[411,412,413,414],"class_list":["post-4693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-beatles","tag-hello-goodbye","tag-hyaluronic-acid","tag-nonna","grateful-dozen-self-appreciation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n