I’m sometimes a little evasive when people ask about my age. Not because I’m ashamed or “feel old” or anything. I just think it’s a really stupid question most of the time. People really plug a lot of silly preconceptions into age, things that more often than not merely make them age faster. I’ll expand on that in a minute, but first I want to share how I was reminded of all of this by a couple of recent events. This morning, a friend who is very passionate about yoga shared an image that made the rounds a few years ago on the web, an image of the then-83 Bette Calman. If you look at the full series of images, it actually looks more like Bette is breakdancing than doing yoga. Bette’s story resonated for me, because just last weekend, I and my photographer pal Robin took a “YogaFlex” class with another pal, Marty Betts (who also makes great muffins!). Both Robin and Marty are fairly serious running enthusiasts, and Marty got certified as a trainer not too long ago. Me? I work out a little – mostly basic body resistance stuff, some light free weights, a few miles on the bike a few times a week, and a lot of walking. But nothing even remotely hardcore, and my endurance on aerobic stuff sucks somethin’ fierce.
Anyway, I’ve practiced yoga in the past, mostly when I worked with a couple of dance companies years ago. So I was well aware that it can make you feel muscles you forgot existed. But this class really brought it home. “Oh hamstring, where art thou” was not a question I had to ask the next day. So in spite of the fact that I’ve had recent experiences where I was working with people half my age and KICKING THEIR ASS when it came to energy, creativity, and work ethic, here I found a simple activity that kicked MY ass. I think Robin and Marty fared a lot better; in spite of the fact that they’re both older than me, they’re both in better shape. Or maybe I’m just partial to feminine shapes. (Marty and Robin are hotties too. And spoken for! Is that sexist? Good. I’m a sexist too.)
So, just HOW old am I? Well, as Oscar Wilde said, “One should never trust a woman who tells her real age. If she tells that, she’ll tell anything.” I see no reason to make an exception just because I’m a dude. Besides, like I said, it’s just such a useless question. People thought I was thirty when I was twenty, and twenty when I was thirty. Me, when I was twenty I thought I’d be DEAD by thirty. And when I run into old friends my age, the ones who “look their age” seem to be the ones who bought into the whole program of “married with kids by 25, homeowner by 30, kids off to college by 40, get a job you don’t necessarily love and save because you need to retire at 55”. If a person follows THAT program, they’ll “look fifty” at FORTY, just from the stress of it all!
I’m more of the mindset of legendary pitcher Satchel Paige, who pitched his last professional baseball game at the age of sixty. Satchel said “Age is a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it don’t matter.” I don’t, and it seems IT don’t, as a result. But hey Bette! Act your age, will ya? You’re making me look mine!
