Finding The Fountain Of Age

First you forget names, then you forget faces. Next, you forget to pull your zipper up and finally, you forget to pull it down.
- George Burns
The woman who tells her age is either too young to have anything to lose or too old to have anything to gain.
- Chinese Proverb
Forty is the old age of youth. Fifty is the youth of old age. - Victor Hugo
He who is of calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age, but to him who is of opposite disposition youth and age are equally a burden.
- Plato
Maturity is the time of life when, if you had the time, you’d have the time of your life. - Anonymous

WHEN middle age - or the semblance of it - comes along, can panic attacks and fits of denial be far behind? You look at yourself in the mirror and you see strange and unpleasant apparitions - there are crow’s feet beside your eyes, there are quirky lines on your cheeks and forehead, your chin has multiplied, and yikes, your hair has grey streaks all over! You take a longer look at yourself in the mirror and you are confronted by more rude awakenings - your arms are the size of your thighs, your thighs make out like a rhino’s neck, your breasts rest on a mound that was once your flat tummy, and your butt has disappeared into oblivion.

The tell-tale signs are all over the place - you wiggle yourself into jeans that won’t fit, you bend over and you hear a creaking sound, you can’t read a thing without your eyeglasses, you catch your breath going up a flight of stairs, the monthly period gets scarce, the adrenaline rush slows down - and you just know you’re “getting old”.

And then, like a mantra, you recite to yourself a litany of cliches that twenty years ago definitely didn’t apply to you: You are as old as you feel. It’s all in the mind. Think young, feel young. Life begins at 40. Age doesn’t matter as long as matter doesn’t age.

To many people, the advent of middle age is an event of crisis proportions, a worst nightmare come true, a face-your-fear kind of scenario. At best, it is the stage of life that leads to senior citizen status - an inevitable path towards incontinence, osteoporosis, triple heart bypass, hypertension, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, erectile dysfunction.

For a woman at the prime of her life, the dreaded word is ‘menopause’. For a man who has been a macho all his life, it is ‘viagra’.

It is interesting to note that at the turn of the 20th century, the average life expectancy for women was 46, and women lived a few years longer than men. Today, people survive well into their 80s, even 90s, with many leading healthy, productive and meaningful lives. Has the fountain of youth been found at last?

Probably - inside the cool, private comforts of a cosmetic surgeon’s clinic.

Liposuction, botox, mesotherapy, breast implants, nose lifts, eyebags removal, photorejuvenation treatment, beauty imaging system - the options for enhancement and preservation of looks are endless. Technology poses no limit to what vanity can conjure and the body endure. If you have the werewithal, staying forever young is no longer wishful thinking.

But while the doctor’s scalpel does contribute in no small measure to looking young, much of it really lies in practicing the things one learned as early as kindergarten. Eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, sleep well, drink plenty of water, get enough rest, take vitamins, observe the right posture, do everything in moderation and project a positive attitude towards life in general.

In mid-life, one should never think “too old” to do things that are often associated with age - like going back to school and earning a degree; starting a new career or going into business; building a relationship or letting go of an old one; learning to dance, ride a bike or drive a car; picking up badminton, tennis or golf; working out at the gym; getting a hair rebond; meeting new people; expanding one’s horizons; catching up on high tech; doing the South Beach diet; getting a life.

One should never feel “too old” to do things that were undone during younger, more reckless times - perhaps due to failed undertakings, missed opportunities, misplaced priorities, wrong choices, costly mistakes. Middle age, after all, is exactly what it means - half a lifetime still lies ahead to pursue new goals, avail of second chances, savor the fruits of one’s labors.

Indeed, the secret lies in thinking young, feeling young. A healthy mind equals a healthy body. The glow of youthfulness comes from within, brought to the fore by purging one’s system of anger, regret, negative thoughts, violent reactions, grudges, ill wishes. Ridding one’s mind of ugly ponderings is like washing away the body’s toxins. Shedding off all those leftover emotional baggage will remove the frown on your face. As they say, travel light through life. The joy is in the ride.