Young Always
Seems like people put labels on everybody these days. One of the only ones that gets my shoes laced the wrong way is people and their age labels. He or she is at such-and-such age and can’t do that or shouldn’t do that. I have seen people 80 who look 40 and people who look 40 look 80. I have always believed age is a state of mind.
It’s time to stop looking at are elderly people as helpless and unable to do things on their own and thinking they cannot still live active lives. It’s also time to break the mold in our own minds about how we should act or be doing just because we are a certain age. I look in a mirror and I see a 55-year-old man, what I feel like is a man in his twenties or thirties still.
In my mind’s eye, I also see this man fit and muscular who can run marathons. I know in actuality I can run no marathons but I can still go for a jog, ride a bike or take a walk around the lake.
It has been said that perception is reality, so as I grow older and less mobile, losing my muscle tone and endurance, my perception is not living up to my reality and I find myself adjusting the things I used to do with ease, adjusting these things to be more manageable for someone of my age.
Adjusting things, as I do to suit the physicality of my age, does not mean I need to stop doing these things or quit doing them all together and the same goes for you.
Just scale back to make these activities a bit easier. I used to push myself to stand for hours at events, sometimes ten or twelve hours, shooting photos trying not to miss a thing.
As the years have rolled by, I know it’s best to cover the highlights of events or I will pay for it the rest of the week. I still find myself at certain events well past what my body should be able to handle and that is just my pride creating problems for me. Haha.
When I do certain things, I transform in my mind’s eye into that young adult, even if for a brief time. When I listen to Led Zepplin, ACDC or the Beastie Boys I instantly become that wild young man of my youth and can dance around the house getting housework done or just jamming out with loud music blaring.
When I go fishing, I can close my eyes and I am instantly transported into the body of an 8-year-old, fishing with my dad. When I cook, I turn on the jams of my youth and in my mind’s eye I am transported to a youngster just barely reaching the counter doing my best to help my mom cook. Everyone has these things buried deep inside their psyche ready to transport us to our younger selves.
We may see a person with wrinkles in the mirror or standing across from us but remember we can all be young at heart.
This is Will B saying don’t let a number on your driver’s license hold you back from doing something you love.