Growing up in the 80's, I loved Paul Simon's super-groovy tune "You Can Call Me Al." As a pre-teen, I paid little attention to the seemingly-abstract lyrics. Now, with a window seat on the downhill train to age 50 (I turned 48 last month), the opening stanza seems like it was written for me: A man walks down the street He says, "Why am I soft in the middle, now? Why am I soft in the middle? The rest of my life is so hard Yep, all the clichés are true. As we move into the true "middle" of middle age, life gets simultaneously easier and harder. Slower and faster. Many of us find ourselves in the throws of the busiest and most important parts of our careers, becoming leaders and role models, maybe even doing our best work. At the same time, others in our cohort are watching sons and daughters leave for school, tying up the last delicate work of ensuring their progeny are prepared for the challenges ahead. We are often rewarded with the realization