Colm O'Regan: My ear hair and emoji use is telling me I'm getting old 

"The Second Half isn’t just a decline. There’s renewal too."

Pic: Roger Kenny

The week of a birthday (don’t worry, it’s never too late for a gift) is always a good time for introspection. At 44, I’m definitely near/at/over the halfway hump. So I thought I’d check in with myself to see how preparations for the second half are going. They seem to be well underway with obvious signs of second-half-ness, so it looks like it’s all downhill here from here. Indeed, the first classic sign is saying “it’s all downhill from here”.

It’s only approaching halfway that I’ve started thinking about half-ways. And that there is a downward slope. Who knows what twists and turns are left? Especially with an absolute maverick like me whose socks rarely match. But deep down, I think we know, physical ability, ambition –their trajectory is downward.