What do you love now, that you hated when you were younger?

This one is surprisingly easy to answer.

When I was younger, weekends were for going out. Loud music, crowded clubs, late nights, and the belief that if you weren’t out doing something, you were somehow missing out.

These days?

You’ll find me happily doing the exact opposite.

Give me a quiet Friday evening in the garden with Mrs Bob, listening to the birds settling down for the night instead of someone shouting over music that’s three decibels short of causing structural damage.

Give me an early night and eight hours of uninterrupted sleep over crawling into bed just as the sun is thinking about getting up.

Give me staying in over clubbing every single time.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of all is that I’ve learned to appreciate my own company. As an autistic bloke, a veteran, and now a proudly grumpy fifty-year-old hermit, I’ve finally realised that peace isn’t something you find in the middle of a crowd.

Sometimes it’s found in silence.

Sometimes it’s found with a mug of coffee, a good book, or simply watching the garden grow.

And more often than not, it’s found sitting beside Mrs Bob, neither of us saying very much, because after all these years we’ve discovered that the best conversations don’t always need words.

It’s funny how the things we once avoided become the very things we treasure.

Maybe that’s not getting old.

Maybe that’s simply learning what happiness actually looks like.

Stay safe,

Bc