'THE OLDER I GET'... 60 BLESSED YEARS!










“And if they found a fountain of youth,

I wouldn't drink a drop and that's the truth.

Funny how it feels I'm just getting to my best years yet…

The older I get.”

-         From the song ‘The Older I Get’
by Alan Jackson



Many years ago, Melvin, my brother-in-law, who lives in America, had sent me a music CD. He knew my taste, and had sent Alan Jackson’s most popular country songs. I would listen to these songs so often, some songs over and over again. I was in my late forties, then… and felt full of life. Alan Jackson’s songs were about life… They would help me remain a lot grounded in life.

There was this particular song – ‘The Older I Get’. Probably, I must’ve played and hummed along it a thousand times. Strangely, I do not remember becoming strikingly aware of its lyrics. I would simply love this song… and listen to it and hum along, over and over again…. It would help me calm down, be peaceful…

Then, when the CD days were over, music came inside our computers, laptops and mobile phones… Years rolled by, and, the frequency with which I listened to Alan Jackson, somehow, got reduced… Yes, strangely so!


A couple of days ago, a dear friend of mine, Rekha, who is selective in sharing some good stuff on WhatsApp, sent to me two song-videos… One of them was Alan Jackson’s ‘The Older I Get’ with lyrics. That was the first time I really felt the power of this song. I had hummed along this song several hundred times before… Now, suddenly, I was feeling overwhelmed by its meaning!

My 60th Birthday was just three days away when Rekha had sent to me the song. I, immediately, wrote to her:
“Thank you Rekha for sharing with me this amazing song. I will be turning 60 on this 24th.  Will definitely use it in my Birthday Blog.”

And, here it is!


I do not wish to say more about how I feel today, as I reach this important milestone in my life. Alan Jackson’s country song is so beautiful and eloquent, that I want it to say it for me…









GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.: Ashok Ahuja

Picture story (Video): Satnam Singh

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