Ramblings of the Young at Heart…
July 1st, 2008At the gig last Saturday, I saw a fellow musician whom I hadn’t seen in a long time. And I mentioned to a fellow band colleague how i didn’t recognize him because he seemed so much older. And he mentioned that I was older too. And sure, we may joke about it but it really depresses me that I’m 50 now. Like, when I was 18 I had all this time ahead of me, and now the days are numbered.
This all reminded me of the time I stepped into my wife’s office and i was chatting with one of her co-workers and I guess I give off that vibe that I feel younger, yet she reminded me that I’m a middle-aged man. Was she trying to stiffle my youthful persona?
I tend to think (and feel) that I am younger than my age. In the past, people always have been amazed how young i look for my age. The Colonel of my son’s Jr. ROTC Unit was amazed just months ago at how young I look for someone who just turned 50.
I think my age may be catching up with me. I don’t feel so young nowadays. And, I get very depressed about my age. Hitting 50 is a big milestone in one’s life. For you younger folks, well… you won’t know until you actually reach 50 what that will feel like. It’s like being a Dad… i never knew what that would feel like until it actually happened. I had always thought that it’s all in the mind, how one feels age-wise… and I still believe that. But, there’s also a part of me that realizes the inevitable… that the human body ages and grows old… and unless one has been blessed with perfect health in their old age, sickness and chronic illnesses will follow and eventually… our demise.
Perhaps I’m going through my real mid-life crisis now, the one I thought I went through in my 40s.
Still, I am a person of hope. And that you reap what you sow, and doing all those things, be it yoga, eating and drinking super-healthy foods, meditation, and keeping active, CAN help maintain a healthy body, mind and soul. And the more I think about it, if you don’t have your health… well, it just makes living all the more harder.
But, I will try my best to continue to keep thinking young at heart. I think that if you let yourself get categorized by your age, and let society judge how you are because of your age, then you’ve already lost the battle at keeping that youthful attitude.
I just have to keep thinking that ‘eternal youth’ is in the mind. You are what you think you are… no matter what others might say. It’s all in the mind. Think young and you are….
July 1st, 2008 at 1:18 pm
I too don’t feel my age, even with this ALS thing, mentally I’m still 18!!!
July 1st, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Pat: you’re definitely a kid at heart for sure. :o)
July 4th, 2008 at 6:42 am
I feel ya’. I’ve been feeling every imperfection in my body and mind since I turned fifty. And I’ve been trying to address everyone since, but the older you get the harder it is to turn back the hands of time. My beer belly is the perfect metaphor for staying in shape while you can. :(
July 4th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
O-man: on a more positive note. we can both be thankful that we have lived this long. recently, someone i knew had died of a brain aneurism. he was 24 and seemingly very fit and active.
July 7th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
You certainly don’t look 50 in your photos. ;-)
I was having a very similar conversation with my younger sister just last week. She said she felt like she was 28 years old and I wondered how that was possible when I feel only 24–that makes her older than me!
Then I decided to call my ever-youthful aunt to ask her how old she feels. She’s in her 70s, now, but has always remained so young, happy, and playful. She giggled when I asked her how old she felt. She responded that she feels like she’s in her 40s. She looks like she’s in her 40s, too (but she’s over 70 years old). We talked about it for a while and she said she thinks that we mentally stay at the age we were when we became truly independent and ourselves. For her, it was around the time of her divorce, I suppose. For me, it was when I was finished with college and deciding what I wanted to do with my life.
Do you feel a certain age, Carlos?
I’m definitely living my life filled with as much health and happiness as possible. That’s what my aunt did and she’s a true inspiration for me. I’m taking it a step further by living as a raw foodist (going on about two years, now), hoping to have even greater health and vitality in my 70s and beyond!
Lots of love to you,
Wendi
XOXOXO
July 9th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Wow! You don’t look 50, Carlos!