Age is a suggestion

So what’s the big deal with this age thing? I believe that age is a suggestion, not a prison and that you are only as old as you choose to think and act like you are. I have seen 75 year-old women who move furniture, push mow yards, and still have energy to go shopping. I have seen 20 year-old men who can’t walk a mile without giving out of breath and having to sit down.

Some individuals fall apart when they hit a magical number that signifies (at least to them) that their life is over. I guess they fail to notice they are still living.

I know a woman who fell apart and cried for days when she turned 30. Mini breakdowns occurred at 40, 45, and 50.With each approaching birthday family and friends tried their best not to create too much fuss, and to announce her age was strictly forbidden. This same woman has just turned 55 and no breakdown occurred. She has finally figured out that her life is not over and the most recent birthday was accompanied by excitement and preparations flung in amongst her busy schedule.

I’m not sure about this age limitation people place upon themselves. I understand if you're 90 years old and don’t want to go skydiving, or if you have medical problems that prevent you from snow skiing and skateboarding. But why assume that your life is over and “it’s all down hill” after you reach a certain number?

I have friends who have made pacts with other individuals promising to marry each other if they are both unmarried by the age of 40. Why place a limitation on yourself? If you don’t met Mr. or Mrs. Right until you're 50, then so be it. At least you have the assurance of knowing you have found the right person to spend the rest of your life with.

My theory is that people are scared of time and they blame it on age. Everyone worries that they will not have enough time to accomplish all the things they dream about. They use age as a guideline to indicate how much time they have left and how good the remaining years will be.

"Time changes everything," and there will be things that your body will gradually forget how to do. For example, I am 21 and my hips refuse to bend the way they did when I was 10 and as a result sideways splits are no longer an option. Instead I work on scissor splits, focusing on something I can do instead of something I can't.

People should enjoy life by taking each day as it comes and should not worry about whether they are too old to enjoy cartoons or too young to play bingo. I believe that age is just a suggestion and predicting time (left on earth) is impossible. There is no guarantee that death in this world signifies the end of existence. So why worry about how old you are or how much time you have left? Enjoy each day for what it is, wear your experiences like a coat, never stop trying new things, and never give up trying old things; you might surprise yourself with what you can do.