CALL OF THE MILD

EVERY GRUNT YOU EMIT AS YOU STAND OR SIT HELPS NOURISH THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY

It started happening about three years ago, when I turned 39 and was first preparing to establish a beachhead in my 40s. By any measure, 39 is a tough age to be. It's the age at which even the fittest ballplayer is described as a "grizzled veteran." It's the age at which a former rock 'n' roller embarking on a comeback tour will be referred to respectfully as "the patriarch of pop." It's the age at which you first realize that no matter how successful you become in your career, you are chronologically disqualified from ever again being referred to as...

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