|
Besides breathing, aging is something we all have in common. From the moment we are born, we start aging and continue to do so until the end. However, although we all age, depending on where we are in that trajectory, it is treated quite differently. In the beginning, it is called “growing up”, a great stage of life where we predominantly play and learn. Most of us could not wait to get older and reap the rewards of adulthood; this is when we are in charge of our own lives, we get to call the shots, we become the masters of our domain – we are free! This stage could be called “enterprise” where we sort out how we want to live, where we want to live, and with whom. Then there is “maturity” or perhaps “retirement,” and although I have not totally figured this one out, it is at this stage that “aging” becomes most relevant, or at least it’s when we actually start to talk about it. I recently heard a program on CBC that included three comedians over the age of 60 who used their “stage of life” as their material for their comedy. They were entertaining, engaged, and very funny, and although aging may not be funny on the outside, it could be and perhaps should be. I think maybe it’s all a bit too serious and that we could, instead of treating it as the Road to death and dying, borrow from our past and continue to call it “growing up”. At no point in life will we have learned everything, done everything, or seen everything. Life should continue to be fun (and funny) and aging be damned! Keep learning, keep moving, and above all, keep laughing. |