You're Still a Young Man

I face a daily battle. On the one hand, I believe I possess a mental preparedness and the wisdom and business know-how of a 40-something year old man. However, my birthdate of August 20, 1982 presents me to be a 23-year old social novice. Often times, people are shocked to find out my age, because I don't look or act it. Sometimes, it becomes an unavoidable liability, and some people get caught up in the "but he's only 23!!" thing, which is their loss, but neither my gain.

That brought me to think: when is a man a man? Sure, the law says that when you reach to age of majority, you are a man. That's not enough, though. When does he reach a point where he is viewed by his actions and not by how long he's been on this Earth? Is there such an age? Or, is there this unspoken system of guesswork to do, wondering when and how you're going to be perceived? When is a man at a stage where his parents or guardians have adequately prepared him to be "independent"?

Granted, not having been around 30+ years, there are things I still have yet to learn. We all do. Learning the rules and regulations of life is something that we will always go through. Sure, we've been given a guide to living right (the Bible), but even the BEST of Biblical scholars dedicate their lives to understanding and teaching the finer interpretations of the Good Book. As for me, I will live as my God has blessed me to, and will perform no less than how He expects. I am a wonderful package for anyone to be around, and those that look at the numbers instead of looking at the man will miss just that: the MAN. Yes, I'm still a young man, but I AM a MAN. I've just been blessed with the brain of an old man. Take the wisdom of the old in me, enjoy the youth of the young in me, strap yourself in, and just enjoy the ride. You wanna skip out based on the number, fine. One more spot for a more deserving person, I guess.

-B