All sorts of reflections of this nature passed through my mind—for as I grow older I regret to say that a detestable habit of thinking seems to be getting a hold of me...

In this wry, self-deprecating aside, the speaker treats “thinking” as though it were an unfortunate vice—an ironic reversal that suggests both humor and unease. The line implies that age brings not only experience but also an involuntary tendency toward reflection, second-guessing, and moral or existential rumination. By calling it a “detestable habit,” the narrator hints at the discomfort that accompanies heightened self-awareness: thought interrupts ease, complicates action, and forces one to confront implications that youth can ignore. The phrasing also signals a conversational narrative voice, inviting the reader to share in an intimate, lightly comic confession while preparing for more serious reflections to follow.