Categories: uncategorized
Date: 03 March 2013 10:53:43
Some time agoI visited an elderly lady - OK so probably only 10 years older than me, but still at the moment I feel a good bit younger than her. Why? And what has that got to do with learning to play the clarinet?
In the hour I spent chatting she repeated herself a good many times, and I thought - ye gods in a few years this will be me - and there is nothing attractive about a little old woman - however dynamic, intelligent and well travelled she was in her youth - sort of everyone knows where it is but no one wants to go there.
I hope she couldn't see my eyes glaze over - and yet someone will sit opposite me soon thinking 'how long before I can decently leave, I wonder? ' That's always supposing I haven't turned bit funny and stopped washing and there is someone who will visit me! It made me sad.
And so I turned to a favourite book - Ageless Body Timeless Mind. I read 'because the mind influences every cell in the body, human aging is fluid and changeable; it can speed up, slow down and even reverse itself.'
But I am not sure if this is correct - don't we just accept the cards we are dealt with and say what will be...Can aging can be dependent on the individual?
Somewhere in Deepak Chopra's book it says 'the decline of vigour in old age is largely the result of people expecting to decline...'
So from now on I am not going to expect to decline - I am going to believe that Aging is nothing but a set of misguided processes and maintaining a positive outlook each day, coupled with some exercise - oh yes and perhaps the odd G and T and glass of wine, will not keep the grim reaper at bay but will make the days enjoyable and pleasant. After all no one wants to be sad. 'Despair of growing old makes you grow old faster'
Somewhere else he says 'Learning is a very active use of the mind...' so I am going to learn to play the clarinet - and I could even start today!