Day 39: How Old Are You?

I heard a great quote the other day:

How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

Satchel Paige

I like the sentiment behind it: age is just a number. If you expect to be a certain way because the calendar says you should, well, it will probably be self-fulfilling. Instead, let’s take the saying “Act your age!” and turn it upside-down: “Your age is how you act”.

Of course, this can sometimes lead to trouble. My brain keeps thinking I’m in my 20s, and tries to make my body do things the way I did then. I end up paying a price later on in the form of very sore joints. So even when I act like I’m in my 20s, my body brings me back to reality. The same is true for some other biological realities, such as bearing children, but for the most part, your age doesn’t control what is possible.

So if you were to find out that your birth certificate was a forgery, and your real age is different, what would you guess it to be? I know that for myself and others who I have asked, it’s always younger. So why get hung up on a trick of the calendar? Go ahead and live as fully as you can, and don’t dwell on that number.

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