Wednesday 6 May 2015

..youthful at 70..

..I tried to be youthful as I aged..at least in my mind..and my mind keeps on assuring me that, indeed, I am 70 and I look it..but I do not feel it..and I really do not know how a 70-year old is supposed to feel..I looked at those in my peer group and found them older than me...and my wife laughed when I told her so, that I found them older than me...but in her family, apart from her mother, who is 85, I am the oldest..but, then again, she is 13 years younger than me..and since the oldest in her family is her sister who is 64, I cannot help but moved around with those who are younger...which helps keep me youthful..

..I also tried to be healthy..but at 70 how healthy can you be?..I watch my diet as I watch my hair greying and my teeth breaking one by one....like most every one else, when I was 55 going 60, I tried holding on to my youth...dyeing your hair black is easy...but keeping your skin taut and your bones creak-free is hard...I bought a Raleigh bike..life now is in auto-cruise, no reason why I should not now pedal a little...which I did with gusto to the beach and back on most evenings...

...I tried to be a better Muslim...I wasn't during my hot curry, polygamic mayhem days...it was hard balancing your life between two women...more so, three...children kept you off-balance...I could have been a better father, of course...I wasn't too bad, but I could have been better...hindsight magnifies your mistakes a thousand times...then, I was just a hardheaded young man with more than one wife...later, I was that 60-year old licking his wounds...now I am that 70 year-old looking at the memories invoking scars of an earlier life....

..children gives you grandchildren, and I am glad..they will be the light that will take pakmat into the future, a future of which pakmat will not be a part of..and yet, pakmat will be very much a part of it...what lies ahead for them I dare not even hazard a guess...but for pakmat, in this short span of time  that he has left, .he will pedal along,...enjoying the moments that God has given him...thank you, Allah...

..



..

31 comments:

Adib Noh said...

Salam PakMat.
I also don't know to feel 60 when I reached that age two years ago.When I am cycling on my bike in Putrajaya with younger riders,I feel like I am 26 instead of 62.Cycling has a magic mirror that managed to laterally inverted my age.Hehe..See you this weekend in Bachok.

OOD said...

age is felt only and as brief a moment as when the joints cracked, no?
You dontvsound 70, sir!

Unknown said...

salam, pak adib..wow, that was fast..cant invert mine, 'cause then i would be 7...but, then again, maybe I am going through my second childhood..haha...
..

Arena said...

Wow. Beautifully written. Keep them coming Pak Mat

Tommy Yewfigure said...

No regrets Pakmat, it's all written in the stars....we should thank God that we all led a fortunate life compared to a lot of people around the world.

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Sofea says, to remain young, just take cat naps. It will shave years off your human age.

Unknown said...

..hi Arena..Thanks..jottings of an ole coot

..hi, Tommy..been sometimes since we met here..remember Keith Locke and his Don't play that song for m?..
hehe...
..hi Sofea..yes been cat napping lots lately..hehe

Unknown said...

..hi Arena..Thanks..jottings of an ole coot

..hi, Tommy..been sometimes since we met here..remember Keith Locke and his Don't play that song for m?..
hehe...
..hi Sofea..yes been cat napping lots lately..hehe

Unknown said...

children kept you off-balance...I could have been a better father, of course

But I have witnessed U with your children! My observation is, they really love U and look up to U.They always speak highly of U too! U have been a good father without U actually noticing it. And your kids are good grounded citizen, who I am proud to call friends!

Nazrah Leopolis said...

Here I am dreading 40. Reading this and Pak Adib's give me some motivation and hope.

Nice one!

Unknown said...

..thank you, Jehan..I think, on the most part, thru have accepted me for what I am..

..not yet forty, Nazrah?..muda tu..not the age yet to worry about growing old..:)

Unknown said...

..thank you, Jehan..I think, on the most part, thru have accepted me for what I am..

..not yet forty, Nazrah?..muda tu..not the age yet to worry about growing old..:)

Blabarella said...

I don't believe I have had the pleasure of knowing you during my years of blogging. But I can already see what a treasure this blog will be for me to visit. :) Looking forward to more postings, Pakmat.

Anonymous said...

I hope to be able to write as well as you when I reach your age, PakMat!

naniasda said...

Old is gold PakMat and the soul is always young..welcome back!

Unknown said...

Pak Mat...whenever I am in your company, I feel we are mates from some sacred past. Never have I felt like I was talking to an old man...in fact to the contrary, you challenged me without saying, for me to continue acting youthful.
Stay young Pak Mat.

IKHWANI said...

Salam pakmat!
I salute you for that energy.
In sya Allah will become a frequent reader here. Sharing is very important and could become amal jariah too.

Happy blogging pakmat!

Fadhil said...

Welcome back Pakmat. Hope to have the pleasure of meeting you in person one day, insyaAllah.

Jordan said...

Lovely post.

And here I was complaining when I turned 40. I think I'll stop doing that now. Keep lighting the way, sir.

Kak Teh said...

you sound young Pakmat Fahmy...and Alhamdulillah for the good health that you are enjoying now.

Naz in Norway said...

Salam Pak Mat,
A beautiful piece of writing, as always. Reflective, humble and honest.
I am a big fan of people being exactly who they really are.

Unknown said...

..I dont believe I have the pleasure of knowing you, too, Blabarella..so here's to friendship...:)

..when you reached my age, you will be writing better than me, leenbaker..

..thank you, naniasda..be seeing you..

..insya Allah, Oldstock..we will, I am sure..



..hi, Mc Ani..welcome..

Unknown said...

..you will always be family, Pak Pin..

Unknown said...

..40 is a nice age to be, Jordan..relish every minute of it..for soon, 50 will also be a nice age to be..:)

Unknown said...

..in my mind, I am always young, Kak Teh..now if only the body listens to the mind..hehe..

Unknown said...

..as I am a your fan, Naz...:)

Yati WTL said...

Salam Pakmat,

salute you for having the passion to still blog.

Unknown said...

..ahh, Kak Teh..where will us bloggers be if not for you..thanks, again..and me sounding young?..I tweaked the speakers..hehe..

Unknown said...

Perkenalkan, saya dari tim kumpulbagi. Saya ingin tau, apakah kiranya anda berencana untuk mengoleksi files menggunakan hosting yang baru?
Jika ya, silahkan kunjungi website ini www.kumpulbagi.com untuk info selengkapnya.

Oh ya, di sana anda bisa dengan bebas mendowload music, foto-foto, video dalam jumlah dan waktu yang tidak terbatas, setelah registrasi terlebih dahulu. Gratis :)

Zubaidah Arshad said...

Pak Mat, I can tell you that cycling can slash a few good years off your age. I do that here often, and I can't tell you how much catcalls I got while cycling from my home to the Shabab beach (beach for the young men) 20km back and forth!

I thought my loose skin would steer away men's look, but I was totally wrong! You go figure!

FAST LOAN OFFER whats-App +918929509036 said...

Do you need Personal Loan?
Business Cash Loan?
Unsecured Loan
Fast and Simple Loan?
Quick Application Process?
Approvals within 24-72 Hours?
No Hidden Fees Loan?
Funding in less than 1 Week?
Get unsecured working capital?
Email us:urgentloan22@gmail.com
Application Form:
=================
Full Name:................
Loan Amount Needed:.
Purpose of loan:.......
Loan Duration:..
Gender:.............
Marital status:....
Location:..........
Home Address:..
City:............
Country:......
Phone:..........
Mobile / Cell:....
Occupation:......
Monthly Income:....
Email us (urgentloan22@gmail.com)