How funny, we all laughed

“We’ve got to patch it up, baby/Before we fall apart at the seams.” — Elvis Presley

A well-meaning friend gave me a coffee mug on my 40th birthday … a few years ago. The black cup reflected the American mindset of 40 as the midnight hour of aging when birthday celebrations turn into pumpkins. And the mug bore a message, words to foreshadow the coming years: “After 40, it’s patch, patch, patch.”

How funny, we all laughed at the party. The “Golden Years” were still a distant vision when we celebrated as I announced my intentions to remain “39 and holding.” I also used to think that motto was funny when my optimistic Uncle Freddie joked about it years earlier.