Enjoying your second childhood

They say old age is a period of our second childhood and childish behavior. The second childhood is a stage of life where the lifecycle returns to its beginning. 

Much like an infant, the old are typically depicted as "irresponsible," "impulsive," "fun-loving," and "immature." They are seen as dependent on the "more mature" - substitute their children- dominant group for guidance to accomplish the tasks to which they are assigned or even to survive. 

Indeed as we grow older, we tend to become more and more like our - no not children- but grandchildren. For evidence note that we both have difficulty standing up straight. We both love to babble on certain that what we say is of the greatest concern to the onlookers. We develop strong dislikes - say milk or broccoli. But we are both lovable albeit for different reasons.

Poets call the old the second childhood. Old people are adorable and fun to be with. And they can be funny too, at times, if not always! Old people love to be loved, especially by their second generation. It’s no surprise that the younger members of the family dote on them. Despite all this, in our fast changing times, few understand the art of aging gracefully. Instead people now do anything to hang on to their youth. No wonder why gyms are flooded with people over sixty, people who are tagged as grandmas and grandpas. 

But the next-gen grandparents can celebrate their old age with fun. It is no more a challenge to lead an old age with the spirit of youth. One of the many ways of celebrating old age is by embracing it and enjoying it with cascading mirth and pinch of humor. Laughing out the stress and strain and leading a delightful life is what many people look forward to, once they reach their twilight years. You now know the reason for the mushrooming of so many laughter clubs in urban India! 

In the words of GK Chesterton in “A Second Childhood.” ( here is the complete version)

"When all my days are ending

And I have no song to sing,

I think that I shall not be too old

To stare at everything;

As I stared once at a nursery door

Or a tall tree and a swing."

.....

So in this perilous grace of God

With all my sins go I:

And things grow new though I grow old,

Though I grow old and die.”