Growing old and growing up, by Muyiwa Adetiba

The piece recounts a priest's birthday celebration in church, where the Associate Priest's tribute included a line that struck the writer. Using the example of addition and subtraction in basic arithmetic, the Associate Priest noted that every birthday is a subtraction from what remains of one's time on earth by a year. The writer reflects that the statement resonated because he is at an age where time has become more finite, with the ticking of the clock seeming louder and each annual subtraction bringing reality closer home. He observes that growing old is an inevitable part of life.

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