Forever Young

As we grow old we can't help but notice the effects on our bodies.  Age is not kind.  The young body is viewed as the ideal, the old body is the result of living life.  It is like an old car.  It is no longer shiny and beautiful, it doesn't run as well but while taking longer, it still gets you there.  It is almost as if we are a product.  When we are born we are wrapped in the cellophane of our mother's womb.  We enter the world free from blemish, our minds have yet to be written and our bodies yet to be scarred.  Like an annual growing from a seed we seem so free from declination.  Our flower has yet to bloom and our seeds have yet to fall.  When we do flower, in our minds we reach perfection.  As a father I remember the day when my son scarred himself for the first time.  The beautiful product once protected by plastic was no longer new. 

The problem with aging is that for many of us, our bodies change yet our minds never do.  While we collect life experience and wisdom the playful vision of a child or a young adult is still there.  No one represents this better then my 93 year old grandmother.  When I visit, her body moves slowly and each step is carefully calculated.  Despite this, there is a glimmer in her eye that wants to be a child.  She seems to look longingly, quietly wishing she shared the same energy and mobility.

We have all witnessed the sad spectacle of someone trying to modify their physical appearance to seem younger than they are.  It usually is seen in clothing or some activity.  My son wears clothing that were I to use, I would look ridiculous.  I can only imagine what my 44 year old body would look like wearing Van's and wedged into a pair of skinny jeans.  I always think of a woman that works in my building.  She is not unattractive in the least however she inhabits the mid years of her life.  When I see her she is always wearing the clothing of a teenager and seems sadly out of place.

When you are young most of your friends are near your same age.  Some where along the line of time that shadows our lives, this changes.  Our friends start to span the spectrum from young to old.  In my own life I have a dear friend from Switzerland.  She is twenty years my senior but I feel as close to her as anyone my own age.  In many ways she has taught me some important lessons of life.  She is a source of wisdom for me and I respect and appreciate her knowledge accumulated through the years.  I trust her and in a way she fills a void left by the death of my mother eleven years ago.  She has also taught me that even as you grow older, you don't need to cease being young.  She is filled with positive energy and enthusiasm for life.  She is on a never ending journey of discovery and her mind is receptive and beautiful in this way.

My father is much the same.  Despite increasing age he still can see the world through the eyes of a child.  He has the creativity and sense of adventure that is always looking for possibility and problem solving.  He is an example of aging but never losing sight of youth. 

When I start to feel the power of age overtaking my life and the helplessness of a body in declination.  I seek inspiration from my friends both younger and older.  A dear Chinese friend of mine has helped me immeasurably with words of guidance.  She makes me feel unique and valuable in each season of my life.  Perhaps it is the result of her Taoist views of life.  She makes me feel harmonious, as if I am filling my special place in space and time.  While passing through life, she makes me feel unique and valuable. Growing old is not a pleasure, it is not romantic and it is not desired.  Despite this, it is a reality.  It can't be be beaten and it can't be delayed.  It is a bitter pill that must be swallowed.  The question is, do we swallow it with grace or do we scream like a child taking their medicine?

As the annual ages the flower dies and sheds its petals.  It is no longer youthful, no longer as bright.  Despite this, it still stands tall.  It is still vibrant and green.  Seeds drop from it and scatter in the soil.  While cool autumn winds will eventually claim the plant it's very essence will remain and one day bloom again.  It will bloom in the hearts of our children and the world that it leaves behind.

If you look in the eyes of a person traveling through life you will find hidden within them the dreams of a child. You will find youth and energy and a longing to relive the days that have passed.  You will find a person that will always be, forever young.