Birthdays have a way of making you contemplate your mortality, consider the ravages of time, and worry about why you re not as good at doing all those things your failing memory pretends you used to be good at. But like death, taxes, and Cher s appointment with the plastic surgeon, getting older is a certainty. Of course, it still beats the alternative. So as long as we re all getting older and no matter whether you re two or 72 you are we might as well know what we re getting ourselves into. It s the natural order of the universe.
Caterpillars turn into butterflies.
Trees start out as seeds, grow tall, then die, nourishing the forest floor so other plants can grow. Even stars grow old, turning into novas so PBS can have a name for their scientific adventure series. Besides, if we didn t age we d all be walking embryos which means Ted Koppel s toupee would look even stupider than it does now. Many of these changes are biologically important. As we get older we add body fat and grow more hair, which keeps us warmer during the winter.