“How old would you
be if you didn’t know how old you are?”
-Satchel
Paige
I came across this rather eccentric but deep quote on one
of my infinite wanderings on the web. It set me thinking. With my own birthday
just around the corner, I couldn’t help but ponder over it. My best guess:
Twenty-one in the brain, but maybe only twelve at heart…
With each year, we’re technically supposed to grow older.
But is older wiser? What exactly is ‘older’? Is it old as in grey hair? Or is
it just another revolution around the earth? My questions are endless. So here
is a brief summary of what I learnt in the past year. It might not be much but
if it has stuck in my mind, it is important. And, it might brand me 'wiser'.
If you can do anything about something, do it. Else, do
not fret over it.
Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you’re all
alone.
Focus on now, by far the single most important moment.
Laugh openly, it helps break barriers.
Listen. Listen some more.
Stay Young at heart.
I told you, it isn’t much! But the fifty-one weeks since
by last birthday have taught me this… not at all bad for a zero-effort venture.
I’m sure you’ve read these words a million times over…
you could probably recite them in your sleep. But I’ve realized they are
omnipresent only because they really are true, every single word of them.
It doesn’t matter how young or old you are. It is just a
matter of perspective. Years ago I saw a 79 year-young uncle, dressed in purple
from head-to-toe. People like him defy the concept of getting old. They truly
embody the ‘age-is-just-a-number’ philosophy. With each passing year they grow
wise, not old.
And that is something all of us should strive for:
Growing Wise.
P.S. Don’t ask me how ‘old’ I’m turning…ask me how
‘young’… You’ll get a chocolate J
