Age brings the benefit of experience.
With experience can come knowledge and learning from the past.
If any team has fallen from great positions in title races over the past 31 years it's us.
Yes I know, the cushion is big. Yes I know we would need to drop points in probably 10 of our remaining league games not to win it - assuming that others won't win all their remaining games, not forgetting that City won something like their last 14 league games to pip us last year.
Yes, our form, our points total and the points total of others are unprecedented.
But, whilst I'm loving every minute of this season, I'm tempered by the potential, no matter how seemingly unlikely, of falling short. Does that make me pessimistic? I'm not sure. I definitely believe we can win it and that we will win it. But the pain of previous failures, and believe me they hurt, just about keeps my feet on the ground.
Just to add though, there's a difference between arrogance, cockiness and complacency to just enjoying and cherishing what we are seeing.
I had this conversation with my 9yr old lad on Xmas day. I told him to cherish this period, this title challenge, this set of results. Because we haven't seen the like of this in the league since 87/88. In 2011 season we ended on 52 points. We have attained that level before halfway has been reached. The 70's and 80's spoiled me as a Liverpool fan. I got used to winning. As Paisley once said "we had a bad season once, we only came second". Winning and consistent winning was normal. Then came the 90's and I wasn't prepared on what mediocrity looked or felt like. It was a bitter pill. But it made the rebuilding under Houllier more enjoyable. It made Istanbul the most iconic night of my life and it's making me appreciate even more what we are watching here and now.
God I love this football club.
Beautifully put.