When the Candles Cost More than the Cake

I recently celebrated my birthday. My whole life has been lit by a sort of childish joy. However, more and more these days, I must admit that I feel less and less like my younger self. Aren’t our years in complete violation of Einstein’s law of gravity? They just go up and they never go down.

In practice, my birthday means that, in the circle of my loved ones, mention of the number 44 is prohibited until further notice.

How “Old” Is “Old”?

People whish you warm and bright birthday. Could it be any different with so many candles on my cake? They say a man is old when these candles are more expensive than the cake itself. Well, I don’t know, I still have to recalculate it for my case.

Someone once wrote:

How do you know you’re over 40? Someone offers you a seat on the bus. And you don’t refuse it.

I know some of you reading this are much older than me right now. You’re probably thinking, “Ah, you baby, you don’t even know what you’re talking about.” And you’re probably right.

What’s Really Got Me Down

But no, I won’t be too negative about my age. I admit that I was a little more sensitive this year because I celebrated in the cold and the fog, as opposed to previous years when my wife and I traveled through all sorts of hot and sunny tropical places and countries.

I don’t think it’s so much just about the years as such. Age is so very relative. I think it’s more about me becoming a little more knowledgeable each time. This year, it’s just hit a little harder.

I have just as many plans and ideas as when I was 18. I couldn’t do it all if I lived to be 120. So my problem is serious and completely real: I’m running out of time.

Looking Up

For all of us over forty, the well-known psychologist Carl Jung said,

Life really starts at 40. Until then, a man is only doing research.

I decided to believe him.

One nice thing about aging (and here it can only get better with age) is that every time you look back, you see more.

I don’t feel sorry for the things I’ve done, even if they were the result of the wrong choices. Everything, everything, led to something good one way or another. Even though, sometimes, it was many years later.

Besides, for us who are over 40 today, the best thing we have going for us is that we made our dumbest choices before the internet came along.

We Can Slow Down Time

And one more thing I’ve discovered: We can’t stop time, but we can slow it down.

The more I find myself, the more I broaden my horizons and learn new things, the slower my time runs. The more I live in a routine where every day is the same as the previous one, the faster time slips through my hands.

When I traveled the world, every day was completely different. I was like a kid looking at everything for the first time. Everything he sees is unknown and interesting to him. He learns, and the process of this learning affects perception and perception of time.

What Wrinkles Our Souls

The humanist and poet Samuel Ullman said something very beautiful and real about aging. Let me conclude with his thought:

No one only grows old with age. We’re getting old by abandoning ideas. Years can leave wrinkles on our skin, but the loss of enthusiasm, that’s what wrinkles our souls.

1 thought on “When the Candles Cost More than the Cake”

  1. I was looking for work as a cashier and my daughter’s bio dad.called me and told me about his Aunt and Uncle which I had meet them years ago they both have Altimer so I’ve taken care of many people over the years so I took the job I fell in love with what I call mommy and poppies .

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