There is more than one way to get old, but there is only one way that will slow the aging process.

And I’m not talking about some skin product that will keep you looking like you’re 45. Even after you start collecting your pension.

There are people who look old and then there are people who act old. Acting old is a sure way to get old faster. But acting younger, I believe, will keep you from getting old.

They say you are only as old as you feel and I think there is something to that.

Recently my wife, Lily, and I were on a Caribbean cruise. It was an amazing two weeks weather-wise. While our neighbours were piling snow to heights they could barely reach, Lily and I were soaking up the 28° Celsius air on one of the seven islands we visited.

When I told one of the guys I play hockey with about the trip, he laughed and said, “What I find funny is that you’re almost 70 and you said all the people on the ship were old.” 

But it was true. It seemed like 90% of the people on board were over 80.  

If we happened to see a couple in their 30’s or a family with children, we sat up and commented, “Hey look, there are young people on this cruise!”

Everywhere we went on board the ship I was stuck behind some old person walking like they should be in a nursing home with a walker.

I know that most people looked at Lily and I and thought we fit in just fine. But to me people seemed way older. 

I know I would not have enjoyed a ship that was filled with kids running wild and free. However, I think it would have been nice if we were the old ones on the cruise rather than being on the younger side. 

… Which brings me to the point I want to make about staving off aging.

I think you just have to keep doing things that you’ve always done. Don’t stop because you’re getting older. 

I still play hockey 3 to 4 times a week and don’t have any intention of stopping. 

When someone says, “I hope I can still play when I’m your age”, I tell them to keep playing now and they’ll be able to later.

I’m still doing the activities I did in my thirties: I play hockey, mountain bike, and play golf. 

Recently I tried pickle ball and I think I’ll play that again. I laughed at myself getting frustrated when I missed shots. In my head I thought I should make all the shots, even though it’s been about 35 years since I played racket sports.

Hang out with people younger than you. Try new things and don’t quit doing what you did when you were young. 

That’s my theory for slowing the aging process. 

Here’s the thing: It is interesting that in the Bible God often refers to people as children. God sees us as young, flexible, moldable, in a posture of learning. If we become old it becomes harder for us to transform into the image God desires for us. We get stuck and begin to put God off. Don’t get old in your mind; stay young and available for God to do great things in you. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What can you do to slow down the aging process? Leave your comments and questions below.

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