Ellen Goodman on "youth" in general, and Obama in particular

I enjoyed this piece by Ellen Goodman, which appeared a few days ago in the Boston Globe. (I actually read it in today's print edition of the Arizona Republic, but liked it so much that I decided on the spot to find it online and post it here.)

I am 53 years old, which puts me squarely in the middle of the baby-boom generation. There are a lot of things I actually enjoy about growing older, but lately I have also been reflecting on Pope Paul VI's observation that as we age, the days tend to grow longer, but the years shorter. In addition, I have been following the media hype about Barack Obama, who, at age 45, seems a bit young to me, especially for a Presidential candidate. After all, we're talking here about a man who was born in 1961, a year I actually remember rather well; among other things, it was the first year of the Kennedy Presidency and the year the Berlin Wall was erected. This column focuses on Sen. Obama, but the author's more general observations about age and perspective are, in my view, its chief points of interest.