Life marches on. There’s no denying it. Anyone with a mirror can attest to it.
And, contrary to the saccharin notions promoted by motivational speakers, you can’t out run it, asserting mind over matter.
But you can accelerate the process by acting old and thinking old. Some people manage to do it while they are still young. People who are chronologically older often deepen the malaise, dwelling on their aches and pains or by sharing internet accounts of how hard it is to be old. One that has been going around of late has been one called “Suddenly it’s winter.”
To some degree this kind of preoccupation is simply an extension of the narcissism that dominated our youth. The only thing that has changed is the subject matter. We were once preoccupied with our plans. Now we are preoccupied with our pains.
Some of it is the luxury of living in a world with too much time and not enough investment in the lives of others (which, by the way, feeds the narcissism).
And some of it is the ragged adjustment to aging that all of us experience.
But a preoccupation with life’s limits is a poor place to live.
To avoid it:
Claim the value of what you have learned.
Stay invested and involved in life and in others.
Live life, don’t rehearse your limitations.
It’s an important spiritual discipline. Our lives are a gift — at any age and using the gift to its fullest is part and parcel of being fully present to God.