All of us need to come to the realization that we’re going to grow old one day, though what we think of as aging is probably far different than what it actually can be if we take care of ourselves. Truthfully, growing old doesn’t mean you have to ‘grow old’ and, as Germaine Greer observed; ‘You’re only young once, but you can be immature forever.’ That’s a good philosophy to have.
In that vein, consider what you might do to affirm your essential youthfulness (even if you’re heading into your seventh decade of life) and street cred, so to speak. If you’ve never picked up a musical instrument like a guitar, you might want to consider doing so. And don’t worry if you’re a southpaw because a left handed electric guitar is readily available and ready to be blasted.
It really doesn’t matter what you do as you age up, because it’s more important that you just get up and do something to keep moving and stay active. Your body may try to convince you that it’s far better to sit on the porch, soaking up the sun and drying out like a raisin, but it’s only trying to trick you into stopping whatever it is you’re doing.
Maybe you have a touch of leg arthritis or some other ache or pain that comes and goes. That’s still no reason to begin to think that you’re suffering from the so-called infirmities of age. Just about every medical professional and fitness expert points out that people who fail to keep moving soon begin to start rusting, so never forget that.
Also, there’s a universe of therapies and modalities out there that exist to help us as we age up. They can be a great way to keep youth from escaping us as we add chronological years to our lives. So, head over to that big outlet store for a jumbo size bottle of Kirkland glucosamine, power down a bunch of them every day and get out there and do something to keep going.
This doesn’t mean, also, that you’ll be the all-world athlete you once were in your youth, but the famous writer George Bernard Shaw said it best when he observed that we don’t stop playing because we get older, but that we get older because we stop playing. That’s a great philosophy of life to carry around with you whenever you’re out and about.
Remember; do things that help you be youthful in more ways than just chronologically. Get out there and play or learn to strum a guitar or beat on some drums. Also, laugh as much as you can and do it deeply and for a long time. You’d be surprised at what you can make your body do when you’re suitably motivated, after all.
