Age Is Just A Number

When 80-year-old Paddy, participated in Britain’s Got Talent, the judges were not sure about what she was going to perform. They were sceptical of having her on stage. Would she be able to keep the viewers engaged? What if the audience lost interest and found her boring? With immense reluctance, they called her on!

Thrilled at the opportunity Pady and her partner, Nico (much younger than her) started dancing. But just as they were getting into the groove of the song, Judge Simon who was a tad bit impatient pressed the buzzer even before their act could start. The couple, however, ignored the beep and went on to perform giving the audience a performance few could forget. As their act came to an end the other 3 judges gave them a standing ovation and a direct entry to the finals!

Paddy was a born dancer. She loved the beats and would break into a dance ever so often. Dancing since the age of two and a half years, she couldn’t imagine a day without listening to a song and swaying to its rhythm, but marriage and family got along with them responsibilities which left her with little time and energy to do what she loved the most.

After her husband passed away Paddy decided to take up her first love again and expressed her desire to dance again. Her family willingly accepted her wish and got her enrolled in Nico’s dance academy to learn something different and challenging- SALSA.

A wrinkle here and a freckle there, thinning hair, sagging breasts, threaded veins and dark circles are all signs of ageing, but why do we worry so much? Isn’t age just really a number and maybe an indicator of our experiences and wisdom? Why do we then see it as a barrier, as an impediment to what we can do and achieve? Instead of worrying about a mere number we should chase our dreams. Rather than limiting ourselves, let us start seeing our age an asset. Being bogged down by what others say is not a solution, see age as a number and that’s about it.

Ageing not only affects women but also seems to be affecting men. Left-arm pacer Ashish Nehra was side lined for the last five years and made a comeback with the Twenty20 against Australia this year. He missed the world cup after a finger injury and then was made to sit in the stands for almost five years. When people told Nehra that T20 is for younger players and asked him how does he feel about it, he said, “People say T20 is a young man's game, all those theories I don't believe in. Age is just a number for me. If you can keep yourself fit, you can keep playing.”

Instead of focussing on age we could try to:

1.       Enjoy music at any age

2.       Pull our feet together for a great dance

3.       Smile and laugh like a baby – this definitely does not need any age group

4.       Have a blast with friends; a number should not stop us

5.       Celebrate life

6.       Pursue a healthy lifestyle which leads to a healthy you!

The older you become it should not stop you from doing something spectacular and beautiful. Samuel Ullman once stated, “You are as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fears; as young as your hope, as old as your despair”.  

Stop counting and start living!

By Shubhra Rastogi

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