“How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were?” Satchel Page
We all get reminded at least once a year how old we are in chronological years. Yet, is this really the way to measure?
There is a theory that we get stopped emotionally (arrested development) at an age of a trauma, accident, death of a close one, onset of an addiction, divorce in the family, loss, illness, etc. This makes sense when I look at my life from my current age. I was abused at age 14, and part of me regresses to that scared, hurt, confused 14-year-old girl when I experience any fear, hurt or confusion today.
On the positive side, most of us have a favorite age. I recall 32 was when I really began hitting my stride; I was independent, living in New York City, working as a stand-up comic, loving life. Indeed, I kept 32 as my “stage age” for years!
I now use that 32-year-old’s spirit to guide that lost 14-year-old girl’s hurt when it gets triggered. So to answer Satchel Page’s rhetorical question, I am 32. And a 32-year-old can help a 14-year-old in distress.
How about you? What age were you when you suffered a blow in life? What was your favorite age, up to now? How can you “marry” the two?
And that is how old you are… really!