in recent days I found inspiration to think about youth and aging here and I left a few rather long notes there... since I actually pondered a bit (used the brain with purpose as opposed to just rambling on without pre-determined conscious direction as I usually do in my entries), I figured I'd share my thoughts on the subject here by sharing the notes her wise soul inspired...

it is not always easy, when wanting to respond, to come up with a worthwhile comment when reading words that are so agreeable (which inspires a grin, but I look for a comment other than "yes" from me anyway)...

first, the easy part... when six years old, or nine or ten, it seems as though there is no mountain that can not be climbed, no dream too ridiculous, and physically, after running miles, no long time for recovery... in the teens, the body responds (however awkwardly at times) with replenished stamina almost in an instant (or so it seems)... and the mind is a sponge ready to absord and learn about life faster than life can happen... with each passing decade, the recovery time from strenuous exercise (or even from study) increases... the replenishing of nutrients and cells at a cellular level slows... it is not a feeling (or experience) one can know until years bring it on, but it is a scientific understanding that can be explained... the muscles, reflexes slow... the lactic acid flows faster... and injury is more apt to happen and takes more time to heal... the body must be treated with more care to maintain optimal conditioning (and yes, that is a decision we can all make, we just must lower our peak expectations with passing years)...

some may never attempt optimal physical experiences in their body even in youth, so this point may be less noticeable for them... and then there is the less obvious, more intangible qualities of aging...

often youth is associated with (or even defined as) innocence, inexperience, or ignorance (lack of knowledge, without the negative connotations the word has for some)... I believe I agree with your point that inexperience is a key element of youth... first experiences can be magical, especially first emotional experiences... the combination or fear and anticipation can freeze some, can panic others, and can inspire anyone who dares overcome their fears...

after first experiences, nothing is precisely the same...

to use fire as an analogy, we see fire for the first time, we feel the heat, eyes stimulated by the light, it can be exciting... we reach out to touch it and our enthusiasm for it diminishes dramatically... we might fear it or avoid it or just learn how to use it carefully, but the magic it once held is often gone (or at least diminished)... and the same can happen with emotions...

the feeling of loving, or trusting, of sharing with others is magical (at first, for it's novelty {and the taboos our culture places on some sharings} as much as for it's effect on our bodies and minds)... after 'falling in love' for the first time, the imagined experience is often altered, especially if that first time did not work out or ended badly... enthusiasm diminishes, fear or ambivalence or apathy increases...

the same can be said for other experiences, pleasures, jobs, anything... something 'gets old' when for too long it hurts or disappoints or in any way feels bad or does not live up to anticipated hopes... some have more patience and tolerance and renewable spirit (hope) than others, so the actual time varies, but the process is similar for us all I think... the choice is to hang on to hope no matter what, to believe in the 'can be' in spite of any experiential evidence to the contrary, to leave most failures behind (all but what can help us not repeat the failure) and reach for those hopes and dreams and experiences that make us happiest to the best of our ability again and again... and maybe to write shorter notes? J

I suppose, in afterthought (or follow up) that expectations play a large role in the feeling of aging... while anticipation can be a very stimulating experience, too many expectations are bound to lead to disappointment... maybe it's fear of failure or embarrassment or something else, but it seems a common habit to run through something over and over in one's mind, imagining the possibilities, exploring hopes, preparing for potential problems, before attempting it... all the mental preparation can lead to unreasonable or narrow expectations that diminish the experience itself...

as challenging as it may be for some, I believe that letting go of any preconceptions and preparations and entering an experience with as open a mind as possible is the best way to experience anything new... I do not mean to completely abandon caution or to ignore the potential for obvious physical dangers, but I do mean to avoid pre-thinking through an experience and let go of what we want an experience to be as much as possible...

with each passing year more and more information is stored up there between our ears (and perhaps in other parts of our body too)... the temptation to feel we already did something or already know how something will turn out is great, for it is comforting to know stuff (I think that is why, as a species, we define the unknown so much through belief systems and philosophies)... the potential trouble is crossing the line between assuption and fact and substituting one for the other... to put it annother way, we defeat the purpose of living when we believe we have enough information in our heads to close our minds to new ideas and perspectives...

that, the closing of the mind, is probably my first definition for what we call being old... when growth slows, maybe even stops, death settles in... and unfortunately I've discovered that one does not have to stop breathing to be dead...

I believe the optimal life is the experience of learning and growing and sharing openly, honestly... aging is allowing doors to close that do not need to close, pretending there are limits where there are none, and shutting down the abilities to perceive, learn, and share knowledge and feeling... youth is a state of mind, but more, being young is following through on that state of mind... doing things that continue to stimulate the desire to learn and grow and remaining open to the possibilities that life offers...

may you find a secure balance within yourself that allows you to do this always...

. o O ( NOTES ARE THE NEW HAPPY PILL ) O o .
(just let me know you were here)