Old age…it catches up with all of us…By Paul Knight

Looking at a recent photo, my tired old face seems to make me wish I was Dorian Gray…especially when I compare it to my lovely, youthful pic of when I was 23. As I loom towards the milestone of 40, I cannot help but to look back and reflect how I am so stuck in my cynical ways that it almost affected one of the happiest days on this planet for me and mine.

I have referred to my past life and the work I used to undertake, most of it went to guarantee that, if I were a religious man, I would not be entering the gates of heaven when I finally die. My upbringing and career choice made me secretive and made it extremely hard for me to share aspects of my life. Over time, I developed the ability to separate the 3 areas of my life, Work, Social & Private.

The friends and associates I make in work, are just work colleagues. I do not discuss my private life but I do start a social life with a select few from work. My social crowd do not get bored with my working day or my private life; it is all about the good times. My private life is just that, private. A handful of people get to enter my private life, invited to my home, meet my family etc but there needs to be a special bond there. My lovely wife however has to put up with me making her friends feel awkward and unwelcome because I just don’t like to open up my front door to those how have not shared blood, sweat and tears with me. It has caused a few arguments but we have come to find some middle ground on the subject and part of my code of life as rubbed off on her too, because she has come to live by it (to a certain degree).

Therefore, to recap, my work colleagues only know me in work and nothing else, my social crowd do not know about my work friends or what I do nor do they know about my private life, family etc and my closest friends know about my private life and share in with the special occasions. I am hoping by now you get the point of these last 2 paragraphs…

So, if I am so secretive about my life, why share at all? Because of old age and the fact that my secretive life meant only a handful of people knew I got married recently and who to…that was of course the beautiful Diane or Candyass to those out there in the internet world. Yes, despite having separate lives on the threads we have in fact been a couple for many years (the clues were all there people…), a couple, who are adults but do not feel we have to be a couple in everything we do. It also means I get to share these pictures with you all.

I am trying to change how I see life and writing the book helped a great deal with that…but I am what I am, Paulie the mystery man…toot toot!!!

Stay frosty