My birthday is approaching, which works out very well in my preschool class. What better way to discuss birthdays than to celebrate my own.
When the children in my class ask me how old I will be, I reply, "Four years old." And most of them respond with "I'm four" or "I'm gonna be four." A few very bright ones will say "You can't be four years old. You're a grown-up!" Yet every year, in September, I turn four years old. Again.
I love my job.
But birthdays always have me reflecting, especially since I have had a lot of them. How 'old' am I really?
There are four levels of 'ages'. Chronological, Physical, Emotional and intellectual. Each offers a point of view on how we live our lives.
So, what ages are you?
Chronological: Actually how long you have been living. Remember in seventh grade, when you took those aptitude tests? The test-givers wanted to know your exact age, so you had to figure out how many years, months and days you have been in existence. (For the tenacious, we computed the time down to hours, minutes and seconds. What fun!)
Physical: How 'old'(or young)is your body? Are you healthy? Do you eat right and exercise daily or are you a lazy slob living on junk? I fall about in the middle. I don't eat right and exercise as much as I should, but I at least feel guilty about it. That has to count for something.
Emotional: Are you mature for your 'age'? Or are you a temper taking whiner if things don't go your way? Do you frustrate easily or do you look for solutions? Emotional stability is a character trait I want in my leaders, how about you?
Intellectual: Are you 'wise beyond your years' or a slacker just getting by? Do you crave knowledge, striving, like me, to learn something new every day? Or have you announced after graduation that "that's it, Im done with all that book learning crap"?
And which 'age' would you feel is the most important to achieve?
I myself am a fifty something who on some days feels like sixty physically. At work, sometimes I feel like I'm back in junior high, with the same gossip mongerers and cliques that made my life miserable back then, but I hold my head up high because that behavior is so immature and I am way smarter than they are anyway.
I hope you enjoy this little food for thought. And "happy birthday" to all.