43 Used To Be Old, But Not Anymore

Today is my 43rd birthday. I can't believe I'm actually 43. Heck, I used to think that was old. 43. It's just a number, right?

Anyway, when I was a boy growing up in North Carolina, the number 43 meant just one thing....Richard Petty. Now, my father was a fan of David Pearson, but that didn't keep me from putting STP stickers on my bicycle. Whenever I'd see that number 43, I'd yell out, "It's the King!"

Yeah, that number 43 was special to me and countless others. Even though my dad rooted more for Fords on Sunday he proudly put a Richard Petty for Secretary of State sticker on his truck back when The King had political aspirations.

Now that I reflect on 43 being more than just a number on a stock car, I am reminded of how I used to think that my dad was just so old. I fondly remember when my dad was 33, then 43, then 53 and most recently 63. Heck, that's not old.

I also fondly remember when I was 23, then 33 and now 43. Heck, that's not old.

For my son, who is not even 3 yet, he could care less about how old I am. To be perfectly honest, he's just getting good at counting to 10. To him, 43 is just a number on a race car, thanks to the Disney/Pixar movie, "Cars". Whenever he sees 43, he yells out, "It's the King!"

I would imagine if he were a little older that he'd be thinking that 43 is old just like I once did. Well, 43 might appear to be old until you get there yourself and then you realize the truth. The cold hard truth. 43 used to be old, but not anymore.