Two days ago, I had a bowl of yogurt for breakfast. For the first time in my life, I actually liked it.

I’ve never gotten along with yogurt before. Frozen yogurt? Yes. But yogurt, straight up, always tasted a bit sour, a bit off.

This was the first time I savoured that sourness.

They say your tastes change as you get older. Many people didn’t like bitter vegetables as kids, but grew to like them eventually. I was picky as a child, and it took me a while to get around to eating garlic rice, or Caesar salad, or relish on my burger.

It reminded me of a CBC Ideas program on Growing Oldness. In it, Paul Hillman talked about developing the quality of oldness, the archetype of the elder—and the surprising, simple joys of being able to taste a pickle. (I’m not there yet. I still don’t like pickles.)

Instead of fighting the years, I’m deliberately cultivating the kind of old person I want to be while enjoying the present. Look at all of my grandparent hobbies: sewing, gardening, woodworking, biking… ;)

Growing oldness is pretty fun, actually. I’ve got a long way to go. I’m turning 27 this August. It’s great to realize how much I’ve changed over the past couple of decades. If it’s been this awesome so far, how wonderful can the decades ahead be?