When is old ?

Last night I had a weird dream. I went to bed a bit later than usual, due to watching the Tour de France. Maybe my mind was too active. Maybe it was a question that I had been thinking about, somewhere deep in my subconscious. Whatever the reason, it certainly was a strange thing to happen in a dream.

I can't actually remember what the dream was about, but one thing did stick in my mind, even I had woken up the following morning. Somewhere during the night, while I was travelling in the Land of Nod, someone asked me a question. It was quite a philosophic question at that. "At what age is a person old ?"

Even in my dream I remember having trouble coming up with an answer. In the morning I decided to share my nocturnal problem with Maggie. It started us both wondering.

When I was a teenager I probably would have considered that anyone over 50 was definitely old, but as the years passed by, my definition continued to evolve. While we agreed that someone over 80 was definitely old, somehow even 75 didn't really seem old at all. So at what age does a person officially become an old bugger ?

We decided to enquire of Google. Surely it would know the answer ? It didn't. While turning 65 seems to make us a "senior citizen", I am not sure if that is the same as being "old". I am now 69 and getting closer to a significant birthday. So am I already old, or will I become old in a few months time ?

Do I feel old ? Well the face I see every day in the mirror is not the same person that I feel inside. Perhaps the mirror is faulty, or perhaps I am just too old to know that I am old. When it's all said and done, what difference does it make ? The fact of that matter is that somehow I don't really care whether I am old or not. It is far more important to be able to enjoy life and do the things that bring me pleasure.

I would be interested to hear what other people think about this vexed question. In the meantime, I wonder what strange questions I will battle with during my slumber tonight.Read more