My old Morehouse College professor Dr. Rashid Abdul Holloway use to always say: “youth is wasted on the young!” I didn’t quite understand what he meant by that at the time he was saying it, but I fully understand now. As I approach the wonderful golden age of fifty I see things differently than I did at twenty-five. 

Physically the young have all the eggs in their basket. They have everything going for them, their health is usually excellent, their minds if they are drug free is as sharp as a knife and clear as water, but they have little patience, wisdom and understanding. Three attributes one usually attains with age. I have heard so many of my elders say: “If I knew what I know now when I was young life would have been wonderful! 

I give you two entertainers. One is an example of youth being wasted on the young. The other one is an example where youth is not wasted. The first entertainer is Britney Spears, born December 2, 1981. She is an American singer, dancer, songwriter, actress, author and certified FOOL! So much has been written about Britney that I don’t want to waste anymore space talking about her, but you know and she knows that she is a certified FOOL! The other entertainer is Angelina Jolie, born on June 4, 1975. She is an American film actor and a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency. She is one of the world’s most beautiful women and greatest actresses. She is a great humanitarian promoting causes throughout the world at the young age of thirty-two. 

When I find young people where youth has not been wasted on, I see young people who realize that everything must change. Bernard Ighner wrote one of my favorite songs: Everything Must Change. In his song he tells the listener that “Everything must change, nothing stays the same. Everyone must change, no one stays the same. The young becomes the old, and mysteries do unfold, because that’s the way of time. Nothing and no one goes unchanged. There are not many things in life that you can be sure of, except rain comes from the clouds, sun lights up the sky and hummingbirds do fly. Winter turns to spring, a wonderful heart will heal, but never too soon, yes everything must change…” 

As I walk around Montgomery, Alabama I see so many things that have changed. So many people have passed on since my arrival in June of 1987. There are buildings that have been demolished and new buildings rising all over the place. I see people who I knew when they were young. Some of them look so bad I rush home and look in my mirror to see if I look as bad as they look. There are some people I see that have aged so well. They are the ones that have kept their weight down, ate a healthy diet, exercised and got the proper amount of rest. The other people that look like hanks are the ones that let their weight get out of control, ate junk food, refused to exercise and brought the sun up every morning. 

Well I told my wife, Debra the other day that before I turn fifty in a few months, I am going to go to my personal physician Dr. Jefferson Underwood III, get a physical and see why I feel so GOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In the words of my dad: “Stay away from the pig ears and fried pork chops.  Eat more fruits and vegetables.”