Growing Old

“Growing old is not for sissies” – Bette Davis

Sir Ben Kingsley does it admirably (I mean unlike a super hero denying his age) in the recent movie Elegy, he goes about accepting it with pangs of desire, possessiveness, jealousy etc. for a lady 30 years younger than his age and with a feeling of inadequacy like any normal male would do at his age. His ability to move the audience comes from a genuine center as he acknowledges in a BBC interview. In another interview, in answering a question whether he considers himself a sexy beast, he says, “I have to tell you, (two nights ago) a woman approached, and told me that I was the sexiest man alive, and that she had to tell me that.”

So can I say that even celebrities have their self-doubts about how attractive they are; especially as they get older? If so what about us the mere mortals who are growing old , choose to remain single, improving our appearance and endlessly scanning dating scene in the hope of finding the right mate who would adore us for the rest of our lives?

Chasing cosmetic surgery, anti ageing creams, adhering to a strict diet regimen, doing workouts to the point of exhaustion to look young is all ok. But remember it’s just the packaging we are trying to improve without giving attention to the product inside. If the product inside feels empty, insecure, vulnerable, neglected it will soon be found out.

May be it would help to strengthen the inside by bonding with one’s relatives, friends and by visiting places we are fond of and familiar with, relishing food and drinks to our utmost delight without counting calories. Or taking up the sport you enjoyed most when you were young. Capturing memorable moments in mind, still/moving pictures, maintaining a journal leaves us with enough material to make us lively to those whom we are trying to impress. The relationship may last for a while or last longer than we anticipated.

So what? We still have our sweet memories that linger in us long after the events are gone.

Even angels from above would say, “You humans, we envy you. In your short life you go through such emotions like joy, sorrow, jealousy, possessiveness, anger, laughter etc. and live life intensely, while we angels here (by being in an eternal state of bliss) are denied all that. Up here it’s so boring and if permitted, we would trade our positions with yours any day”