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I don’t know when it hit me, but when it did, I was rueful of how fast time passes.

I feel old.

Maybe it has something to do with my kids not being the little bundles of joy they once were. Now they’re old enough for school. Before I know it, they’ll be in sports and bringing home dates.

Perhaps my feeling old is related to not being able to pull an all-nighter and bounce back after two to three hours of sleep. I worked the third shift last weekend and am still feeling the aftermath of staying awake for 24 hours.

In college, I could stay awake for over 36 hours aided by a six-pack of Pepsi. Last weekend, I had a pot of coffee to keep the eyeballs from rolling backward during my overnight shift. I managed to stay awake for my shift, then crashed into my pillow once I got home. Three hours of sleep wasn’t enough for me to function. I had to renew my appointment with my pillow for another 14 hours.

I’m beginning to think country singer Garth Brooks had it right with his song, “I’m much too young to feel this d—- old.”

I guess I have two options about feeling old. One, I could continue to wallow in my woe-is-me-I’m-getting-old rant, but hat doesn’t sound fun. Or option two, I could do something to make myself feel young again.

I’m not interested in Just For Men, Botox, or cosmetic surgery. I don’t mind gray hair. I like to have facial expressions. Even though I could lose weight via liposuction, diet and exercise seem like a more stable and viable alternative.

I always had the dream of going to the Olympics. I know the only way I’ll go to the Olympics is as a spectator, but I can do everything I’m able to make sure I’m a healthy spectator.

Besides, if Dara Torres at age 41 can make the U.S. Olympics in swimming — a sport usually dominated by 20-somethings — I can certainly do something to be active, lose weight, and feel like I’m 32 instead of 52.

I never believed the saying, “You’re only as old as you feel,” until recently. There’s no reason for me or anyone to say they “feel old.” Talk is cheap. If you feel old, then you are.

I know I won’t be able to play basketball and soccer the way I did in high school. I just want to be able to keep up with my kids as they grow up and start participating in sports.

They can help keep their old man feeling young.

Columnist Tim Gray, a West Salem resident, can be reached at tim.gray.matter@gmail.com.