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Another Day Old

qualitytimecommuni
Sep 5
3 min read

I recently was introduced to a relatively new song called “Another Day Old” by Eddie Dalton. The song and its lyrics fit very well with my QTR, Quality Time Remaining, philosophy.

It’s a bluesy song about getting older without treating aging as a tragedy. The narrator (there is a reason I am calling him a narrator) acknowledges the physical realities of age. Things take a little longer, our bodies change, and life doesn’t always turn out as planned. But he gradually arrives at a different conclusion that getting older is actually something of a privilege.

The central thought is captured in the refrain, "The older I get, the more that I know, there ain't nothin' wrong with being another day old."


What I especially like is that the song isn't really saying accept getting old. It's closer to appreciate getting old. There is a wonderful shift in perspective in the song. When he was younger, he drove as though there was always somewhere better to get to. Now he lets the miles go by a little more slowly. He appreciates the journey instead of always rushing toward the destination.


And then there is the line that really hit me, “Not everyone gets the chance to grow old.”

That line is particularly poignant for me. One of the things Laura said while she was going through her journey with breast cancer, before she passed away, was, “I always thought I would live longer than 61.” I have never forgotten those words.


Most of us just assume we are going to get old. We joke about our aches and pains, gray hair, wrinkles, forgetting someone's name, or needing reading glasses. Birthdays with bigger numbers aren't necessarily celebrated with the same enthusiasm as the earlier ones. But there is another way to look at it. Getting older means you got more time. Laura wanted more of it.


That doesn't mean we should be morose about the fact that our time is finite. Quite the opposite. That realization is at the heart of QTR. Knowing that our time is limited should make us more intentional about how we use the time we have.


Another day older means you got another day. Another day with someone you love. Another day to call an old friend. Another day to take the trip. Another day to go for the hike or ride the bike. Another day to learn something new, laugh, say yes, or stop for the cherry pie. Another day to create a memory.


“There ain't nothin' wrong with being another day old” could almost be a QTR motto. Because every day older is another day we were fortunate enough to have, and another opportunity to make our Quality Time Remaining meaningful.


I think one of the traps of getting older is spending too much time looking backward at what we used to be able to do, or looking forward and worrying about what we might not be able to do someday. QTR asks a different question, "What can I do today?"


There is still something around the next corner. There are still places I haven't seen, people I haven't met, things I haven't learned, adventures I haven't taken, but more inportantly ordinary days with people I love that I haven't experienced yet.


I don't want to spend those days wishing I were younger. I want to appreciate the extraordinary privilege of getting older and then do something worthwhile with the days I have been given.

So bring on another trip around the sun. Bring on another day old. Because another day older means you got another day.


Make your days count.

Cheers and QTR!

Mark


Listen to the song: “Another Day Old” by Eddie Dalton


Spotify:


Apple Music:


YouTube:


P.S. I called Eddie Dalton the "narrator" because this song was created by AI. That is a different conversation all together!

 
 
 

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