Tuesday 8 February 2011

..the best age to be..

..kite flying along Pantai Irama..after a long let off due to the monsoon,
Pakmat  went jogging along his favourite trail..along the water edge..
...I have been thinking a lot lately....these days that is about the only thing I can do..seeing that most pursuits are cerebral and no longer physical..but what brought it about is my impending 66th birthday...on March the 14th.....officially, that is..it should be 'on or thereabout' as my late mother could not recall herself, except that it was in the early part of 1945..what with Kelantan in a state of uncertainty..with the Japanese leaving after Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and the British trying to get their act together again...and she was in no position to have her third birth registered...with husband having died a few months earlier..

..I used to wish my friends happy 21st ++ birthday, thinking that 21 is the best age to be..and if due to a freak electrical storm that shifted and warped the axis of the universe and you are stuck at particular age, being 21 is a good age to be stuck with....I remember being 21..and as clueless as a door post...no, being 21 is not the best age to be...

..30 to 40 is generally a period of struggle for everyone...marriage..payment for the house, car..with children adding to the chaos...juxtaposing with careers of both the husband and wife...it is a breathless decade..

..but by the time you are 40, you reached a little plateau where you paused a little and take back that lost wind..there is shelter over your head, wheels to ferry you around, and a little extra in your wallet...the children having grown somewhat and your roles as parents, along with your careers, clearly defined...you eased a little on the throttle and relaxed...little or no wrinkles, no flabs...there is still that youthful look..and some youthful flamboyance... it is the age to be..until you are 50..

..by 50, you are in auto cruise..not fearing too much of the future and not looking back too much, either..but you do take peeks at the mirror and marveled at how good looking your are at 50...unlike those goods on the shelves, at 50 you do not have an expiry date....

..but by the time you reached 60 or way past like me, you realised it does not really matter at what age you are....for whatever the count is, it is the age to be....as long as you keep the child in you...enough to enjoy and relish those quiet moments with your love ones...be thrilled by the kites flying in the evening breeze..and just as thrilled by wet, blubbering kisses from grandchildren or that rare hot kiss from the wife...

..

11 comments:

Lili said...

Oh, I love this entry! I'm way past my 40's and when I reach the ages you've passed through, I'll be thinking of you and your wisdoms, insyaAllah. ;=D


p/s Pakmat, I've a vc of my uncle Wan Salman singing over at my blog!

Unknown said...

..salam lili..boy that was quick..and pakmat enjoyed the vid very much..tq..reminds this coot of those time as bachelor in kb,,, the best age and place to be..
cheers and take care..

Naz in Norway said...

Salam Pak Mat,
I'm a 40 something and am happy to be one. Your description of this period of life fits in perfectly.

Aging is fun as long as you remember to keep that child inside you 'well fed' too! :D

Anonymous said...

Salam,
macam lagu 100 years dendangan Five for Fighting

...Counting my ways to where you are...

personally, i like being 24 - 28 when we have steady job, money but no commitment yet

Unknown said...

..exactly, debest..there r better times ahead..there'll always be..until you reached my age..and you'll realise that all those moments are the better moments of yr life..may God bless you..cheers.

Unknown said...

..salam naz..oh, we have to keep that child in us alive..it keeps us young.. and in tune with our children..:)..take care among the fjords..

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Abe Mat,
People say (bukan kucing ye) that a man never grows up. So at any age pun tak kisah. That's why if you marry a man, whether older or younger, pun tak kisah. Sbb semuanya sama saje. Betul ke? purrr....meow!

Unknown said...

..ah, my dear cat..even cats have that kittenism in them..I noticed ayam sometimes forget her sedate ways n jump n frolic with bits of paper..but then she's ayam..

SFGEMS said...

Another good one. I'm in my early fifties and you are right.

Now I can't wait to be 60. LOL

torpedo said...

Woh Pakmat,

I so love this post! Do you think I can share it on my FB wall, if you don't mind?

Unknown said...

..salam torpedo..but of course, you can..and when will you get gong with the blog that the wife (not one of ten) helped get going..:)