DON’T STOP ME NOW

Age is but a number, right? Or does it determine how we feel about ourselves?

Is there an age when men feel they’ve passed a major milestone?

I’d say this age has changed over the years. Growing up, 50 was the age that guys were deemed old. Fifty was the actor Wilford Brimley’s age when

Cocoon, an ‘80s classic that he starred in about senior citizens finding immortality, was released. He played one of the seniors. Some notable names who crossed the Wilford Brimley Line recently are Ewan McGregor and Elon Musk, neither of whom anyone would describe as a senior.

And I feel this too. As I approach 50 (still a little ways off, but closer than

I am to being 30), I have friends in their 50s who don’t feel they’re old, or that their lives are past the point of them being relevant. The line for being officially old for men keeps moving back.

Instead of an age being the absolute arbiter of being old, it’s more about how well you keep yourself. By staying healthy and active physically and mentally, both men and women can stave off some of the effects of ageing, at least for a bit.

But as Chuck Palahniuk wrote in the immortal book Fight Club, “On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero” – words of wisdom. So remember: You’re never old – until you’re dead.