Getting Old Is Getting Old

46a0faa2452f8fc0486e5e7d3d32e6b9After yesterday’s ordeal, today has been much better. My neck is still stiff, but no spasms so far.

I decided to keep a lunch I had scheduled with my best friend, and I’m glad we did. At one point in the conversation, I said something like, “I guess I’m just getting old,” and Trev had a great response.

He basically said, “Maybe we just feel old because we say things like that. How much of getting old is in our heads?”

Trev went on to explain an interesting theory about attitude and accountability. If you blame poor health on getting old, isn’t that just an excuse? Doesn’t it just create a self-perpetuating cycle of morose?

Instead, what if we celebrate our youth, no matter how old we are. After all, at this moment I’m the youngest I’ll ever be. Then the next moment, then the next. Why not revel in my youth instead of blaming my age?

As Trev said this, I realized I do this sometimes, but not enough. For example, I always try to take the stairs instead of an elevator if I have the option. It puts a little spring in my step–I celebrate that I’m able to go up and down stairs. That may not always be the case, so I try to enjoy it while I can.

I really like this philosophy, and I’m going to try to embrace it more. What do you think of it?

4 thoughts on “Getting Old Is Getting Old”

  1. I’m turning 40 this year. I don’t go out as much as I used to because of kids and work but I still think of myself as a 20 yr old. Counter to your idea of getting old, I still wreck myself like I did in my 20s but I have fun doing it. Last week, being in Baton Rouge, I had to go to my friends house and demo everything under 4 feet. If we were in our 20s it wouldn’t have been anywhere near as hard. We are getting old and there is no way around it. If we didn’t spend our lives working to get into cushy desk jobs we would be able to handle it better but it’s a necessity for the next generation that we become old and feeble to provide for them as best we can.

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  2. Part of my thought pattern is rooted in so many studies I hear about these days that cite things about people who maintain an optimistic attitude and think they will recover from medical issues actually recovering at a higher rate than those who are pessimistic about their outlook. I believe that the mind is more powerful than we realize and that our ability to will ourselves to certain states of being is more real than we give ourselves credit for. If we tell ourselves we’re old, slow, and frail, I think we’ll feel and therefore be more old, slow, and frail. When we celebrate our abilities and believe that we’re fit, capable, youthful, and spry, we’re more likely to act fit and capable. We’re more likely to push ourselves in subtle and not so subtle ways and to fulfill the image we’ve created of ourselves in our own minds.

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    • Trev: Thanks for elaborating. I really like the idea of using what we tell ourselves to give our bodies and minds that extra boost.

      Reply

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