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Naman's Men's Magazine for Ladies |
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There’s an old maxim that informs us that we are only as old as we feel. In my opinion this old maxim should be taken with a grain of salt. It may start one off on the right foot, but it fails to prepare one for the outstretched foot of those waiting to trip us up and make us feel old every step of the way. The other day, after depositing my 80-year-old mother at a full-service daycare center for the elderly, I was stopped as I was attempting to leave the building by a new staff member who put her hand on my chest and said, “You can’t leave!” The doors are kept locked to keep the elderly from wandering off. A staff person has to open it for you. I was waiting my turn behind a lady who was pushing her mother out in a wheelchair. When the staff person put her hand to my chest and told me that I couldn’t leave, I was both surprised and amused. But I was more surprised than amused. “I’m leaving,” I said calmly. Distress swept over the woman’s face. “I’m not a patient,” I explained good-humoredly and walked out. As I stepped off the sidewalk beside my car, I turned and said brightly, “Boy, I must be in pretty bad shape.” That went over the staff person’s head. The best she could come up with was “I guess since you’re driving, you must be alright.” As I drove off I couldn’t help but feel slightly amused. Obviously the staff person wasn’t operating at the height of her powers. After all, for a 61-year-old man, I’m still a pretty good looking dude. I could pass for 50 if I wanted to lie about it. And yet the seed of doubt had been planted. The facts on the ground were that I had been stopped at the door by a staff member of a daycare center for the elderly who mistook me for a patient attempting to escape. You are only as old as you feel? No, I’m sorry ladies. It’s a bit more complicated than that. There are often times when you are just as old as others make you feel. The purpose of this magazine is not so much geared to instruction and advice as it is to explaining the way this writer deals with the everyday problems and situations that he confronts in his life. His solutions may work perfectly for him, but may cause more harm than good if attempted by others. Take vanity and ego. Not everyone can handle these qualities safely and successfully. I’m so vain that there is no way in the world that I can be convinced that I am not a pleasant sight to look at. It may be said that I see only my good points, but I don’t care. I’m perfectly content to live with the face and body that I have all the way to the end. Let age and the struggles of life take their best shots. I’ll carry each mark and wrinkle and sag as a badge of honor. The same goes for ego. Neither individuals nor the great masses could ever convince me that I am not up there among the very best people and most interesting thinkers and sublime dreamers that I’ve ever known. It may be that a person is just as young as they feel, but it’s not so easy as falling off a log. It takes some vanity and ego. It takes bravery and the courage to face every challenge gracefully all the way to the end. As for those things that people say that trip you up and make you feel old, I say pish on it. (That’s not a typo. It’s a grand old word that is used to express disdain or contempt.)
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