As I continue to have birthdays, I’m more and more convinced that age is not produced by time but rather one’s frame of mind. There are those who are old at 40, and others who are young at 80. How well are you aging?

That same observation is made in the following piece which appeared in a newspaper many years ago. Unfortunately the identity of the author is unknown.

“Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind, a product of the imagination, vigor of emotions, a predominance of courage over timidity, an appetite for adventure.”

 “No one grows old by living a number of years. People grow old when they desert their ideals. Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, self-doubt, fear, and anxiety - these are the culprits that bow the head and break the spirit.”

“Whether 16 or 70, there exists in the heart of every person who loves life the thrill of a new challenge, the insatiable appetite for what is coming next. You are as young as your faith and as old as your doubts.”

“So long as your heart receives from your head messages that reflect beauty, courage, joy, and excitement, you are young. When your thinking becomes clouded with pessimism and prevents you from taking risks, then you are old…”

Although I have neither the talent nor the insight to write such words, I pray that as I grow younger I will discover the grace and the will to live them!