Old age is inevitable. No one in his right mind would want to grow old if it was in his power to prevent it. Having said that, I should also tell you that growing old is not either tough or nightmarish as you might imagine. It can be fun too. My favourite pastime these days is to keep looking at the mirror for any new wrinkle on the exposed portions of my Adonis-like torso. I know everyone of them so well that any newcomer sticks out like a sore thumb. I keep marvelling at the tenacity of the few strands of hair that have stoutly refused to part ways with a head whence they have drawn their nourishment for sixty long years. I spend hours trying to cover the big expanse of my head with those few loyal strands of hair and when I accomplish the task, I feel as elated as a Finance Minister of a deficit State who has managed the game without levying any new taxes. Or for that matter as an oversized elephant that has effectively covered itself with a bath towel.

The preceding paragraph should not lead you to think that growing old is nothing but unadulterated fun. Just as trouble comes from nowhere in a fun filled family drama, growing old has its own share of problems. The most serious of them is being addressed as uncle, no not by teenagers, but by ladies who are not far behind you chronologically. Such encounters upset my equilibrium a lot more than the few strands of hair, which sensing the futility of it all, decide to call it a day. Or the sight of a new wrinkle that manages to reach my eye. Whenever I am thus beckoned by a middle-aged lady, I run the whole gamut of emotions from A to Z. Anger at her audacity to call me so just because she is only one wrinkle less. Frustration at her skill to be able to group herself with the teenagers by calling me so. Sorrow that someone should throw spanners into an otherwise sublime experience. The horrific experience of Dorian Gray is nothing compared to what I feel in such circumstances.

How does one cope with the trauma of old age if he fails to appreciate the fun part of it? Proclaim at every congregation that you are an old man. Someone might say you are not that old. Refuse to make use of the senior citizen concession extended by the railways and airlines. Stay tuned to World News and look for any news about a 90-year man producing a child in China. Celebrate it with your friends at your club and if it’s a twin with a premium scotch!

HI Sri,

I never agree when a person says they are growing
old. The body may loose its youthfull agility and the skin gets
thinner so that if you pinch it on the back of your hand it
slowly wanders back to its original shape.

Does that mean I am getting old? Not me. I will never
put myself into a picture of this mental construct. There
have been too many friends I lost along the way to this
mindset. Best to avoid the fear and indignity of placing
yourself into a catagory. It doesn't matter to me what
my body does. Some things you can not have control,
but we do control what we think, and how we think.

I agree that keeping the mind focused on the positive
things may help us cope, rather than deny what is
happening altogether. I know all too well the problems
with age, being a young man of 56 Smetimes it feels
like 96. Then you turn on the news and hear of someone
that is 106 and still actively engaging activities.

To me the sign of the aging of the body makes me
glad. Because In a relatively short time, I will be
able to go home to my friend and Lord, and the
things of this world will not anymore be important.

While I am here, I will do my best to take care of
His temple with as much knowledge and dignity as
I can muster, and not worry about how old I
become.

Have a great day, Sri,

Robert

dear Robert

Thanks a lot for stepping in!

I cannot agree with you more on your views of aging. Age to me is just a number. If we keep our minds agile, the body too will follow suit grudgingly though! Our body is the Temple of God and if we treat it as such, it will remain so and the Time will leave no marks on it. The wrinkles if at all, like those of Mother Teresa, will only make you more beautiful

Sri