Old Age: How Fast it Comes

Youth, ah! How lucky to be young and to be healthy! To be young means to be full of hope for the future. This future is still in the cradle, and is yet to rise and walk about and have a life of its own.

A person who is in her youth looks at life as if it is a box of chocolate with the shiny wrapper on that needs to be unwrapped and explored. Time is in her hands, and she is optimistic, as is her family and friends. Everyone has a reason to look forward to.

Apart from having time in hand, a young person also has health. It is normal for most young boys and girls to be robust and healthy, with good appetite, flexibility of the body, and endless energy. Youth and health are often interchangeable.

When both time and health are in her hands, what does a young woman want? Or a young man want, for that matter?

When we are young, we do not think about old age, because we cannot. We are immersed in our spirited lifestyle and our energetic games and sports, our outdoor life, our parties and enjoyments. Many among us would also be using our energy to work towards a career, or a job, which would help us financially.

Often youth also is the time when a person gets married and starts a family. This is a period when people are busy earning bread and butter, and also raising children. With so many things demanding their attention, they are in the midst of life, immersed in its day to day chores, with hardly any time to sit back and take note of how it is passing by.

Then creeps in old age, without notice or warning. Suddenly one day when a person gets up from bed in the morning, she discovers that her bones are aching. Then, another day she finds out that she cannot walk far without sitting down on a park bench. The same person who could sprint non-stop for miles, now has to stop to breathe. These are the vagaries of passing time. Age brings up the picture of a person suffering from various diseases like arthritis, high blood pressure, diabetes, and a host of others.

But have you ever noticed that some people age better than others? Have you come across a couple where the man walks straight and tall, whereas the woman uses a wheelchair? Or the case where one of the two is seriously ill and bed-ridden, and the other takes care of him or her?

Age has a little to do with declining health. But there are other aspects that need to be looked into. The mind-body connection is clearly noticeable, at least I have seen this in many people, whether single or married. It is the mind that trumps everything, even in the battle for better health.

Like with everything else in life where a positive attitude is a sign of good things to come, an optimistic mind leads to better health. Numerous researchers have studied this connection, and the examples are there everywhere. Good health comes to those who are happy and have a cheerful outlook in life.