IF YOU COULD BE OF ANY AGE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, WHAT AGE WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

I am a regular reader of the INBOX World of The Philippine Star and in one of the issues, the question was “IF YOU COULD BE OF ANY AGE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, WHAT AGE WOULD YOU CHOOSE?’

In the physical aspect, I was aesthetically at my best (outward appearance) when I was in my 20's. Healthwise, I was at my best in my early 50's. That is because I only started regularly taking vitamins at that age. I realized only then that I should have regularly taken vitamins early in my life. (I used to be sickly during my younger days).

Sometime ago, I read (or heard, I don’t quite remember which one, read or heard). Anyway, I heard or read that a person should reach his peak at age 40. It means that at this age, one should have already achieved his goal in life. The reason for this is that a person would stop getting opportunities for career advancement at age 40. The opportunities would be given to younger people. In this country, it is unusual for anybody to take the chance of giving a person who is 40 and above another opportunity for advancement. This is so because it is the common perception that a person stops being mentally productive, or that his intelligence diminishes after 40 (which I don’t think is right, I think one’s intelligence does not diminish with time, but mental alertness does). Unfortunately, at age 40, I was still not at my peak. My family and I were still struggling financially then.

But in my 50's, we were already financially stable. Moreover, I remember nine years ago, my eldest daughter would often tell me “ang ganda ng mama ko, ikaw ang pinakamagandang mama” (I still looked good at 56?), to which I reacted, “Anak,  I looked my best when I was in my 20's." LOL!

I remember I was still physically strong at 50. I remember at that age, on Saturdays, I used to clean the house, I start at 7 in the morning and end at about 1:30 pm, non-stop (sweep, wax , husk the floor, clean the windows, the toilet and electric fans, dust the furniture). Oh, it was so good to feel strong. I could walk fast, and at age 56 I could still jog at the  Marikina Sports Center, doing 20 rounds of brisk walking and jogging at the oval   on  my  ever reliable pair of Adidas shoes.  However, as years went by, the number of rounds went down to 15, then 10. But that was all in the past. Now, what I can do is a maximum of 5 rounds of brisk walking and a little bit of slow jogging.

Well, to answer the question above, I WOULD CHOOSE TO BE 50 FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE, BECAUSE AT 50, I WAS STILL PHYSICALLY GOOD AND STRONG, MENTALLY ALERT, AND FINANCIALLY STABLE.

P.S.

Since 40 is the new 20, and 50 is the new 30, so 55 is the new 35. Now that I am in my  60's my theoretical age is 40's? LOL! Maybe that is true in the physical aspect. Many years ago, when a person was 50, we think of him/her as already old. Now, we say that a person is old only if he/she is already 70. Thanks to the many age-defying beauty creams and multi vitamins and gyms!!! One can look and feel years younger by applying beauty creams, regular intake of multi vitamins and by regular exercise.  If the one who said that one must reach his goal at age 40, now it is possible still to reach his goal at 60?

But on second thought, one may appear  20 years younger than his/her chronological age, but deep inside, one cannot deny the fact that one’s body is physically deteriorating. The beauty creams, exercise and multi vitamins will only delay the effects of old age. Even though how much age-defying creams one applies, undeniably, old age will surely catch up, and as years go by, one will notice that it is fast approaching.

So, whatever age a person is right now, he must make the most out of his life. Do the best in what is right, and always acknowledge our God. “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” Prov. 3:6