The Youthful Self

The title of this writing is The Youthful Self. I must pay credit to my bosses for this concept. It’s the idea that we feel much younger on the inside than we may look on the outside. A bit of nerdy knowledge- we are talking about psychological age versus chronological age. And no- we are not taking a Facebook quiz on how old you really are. As my boss often shares her father may have been 85, but her father often said he felt 35 and a stud on the inside. This as he often wore a bowtie and flirted with waitresses.

It’s that feeling when you look in the mirror and say “I’m 40!” How did that happen, I feel just as confused and unsure of myself as when I was in my 20’s. I have asked older adults the age that they feel on the inside. I met a 93 year old that didn’t seem a day over 70 and he probably felt 40 inside. I share with my students that the lady you see crossing the street with a walker- her body may present as 80, but she may feel much younger on the inside.

Now let’s be honest, if you ask some people, they just say they feel old. I have a friend who says he is old and he is only 45. They literally feel old, even when they’re young. I love playing this video in my classes about older adults challenging millenials with their abilities. The millenials start off by saying what they think is old. My mouth drops open and I laugh nearly everytime when one of them says 50. And of course, some folks who are much older can run circles around younger adults.

This really gets to the crux of the question, what age do you think is old? I like to ask other people first – 60, 70, 80, 90, 100? Is there really a number? Or is age just a number and old is a feeling? What if the 100 year old feels younger than someone who is chronlogically 35? I always share that I don’t believe there is a number that is old. I believe it is how we mentally feel- if we throw the words out to the universe that we are old, then we are living with the idea that we are old. By this concept am I falling into the trap of a youth focused society? To not feel old is a good thing?

I think where I am really going with this is that we are full of life no matter what age mentally or physically we are. I love seeing an older adult full of life. I want to be that artist at 75 or still teaching- which is why I am glad I picked a profession where I don’t have to retire until later. I will close with what one of the older adults says in the video I show to my classes- “You are old when you stop moving.”