Recently I went on a mission. I was searching for an answer to a question that has plagued mankind for centuries. I’d like to share my recent findings. The other day, I found myself in a very intense mental state with some time on my hands. My wife became concerned. I began to look restlessly at my phone. I wanted to ask it a question that many people have often pondered. With determination in my eyes, I queued up the trusty Googler on my phone and asked the magic question. I said, “Hey Google, how old is middle-aged?” With that, my wife gasped aloud. As I said those words, I held my breath and waited with eager anticipation for the answer.
As we waited anxiously, my phone erupted with these words: “According to the Oxford Dictionary, Wikipedia, and the US Census, middle-age is between fifty five and sixty five years old.” WHAT??!! Between fifty-five and sixty-five years old??!! Could it be??!! Was I hearing this right?? I’m still middle-aged?? I couldn’t believe it. I had to ask again….And I got the same answer!! I was having a EUREKA moment in my life!! I thought to myself, “That makes me middle-middle aged!! Yahoo!!”
This was transformational news!! All of this time, I thought that when I turned sixty, I was now a “young” senior. I’m now thrilled to know that I’m still a youthful person of middle-middle age. Who’d a thunk!! My perspective has been re-aligned. Without this time off, it may have taken me many more years to discover this!! I now have almost five more years of middle age and I plan on making the most of every minute of it!!
Now that I am armed with this fact, I thought that I would share some of the things that were accomplished by many middle-aged people (and beyond).
- Italian physicist Alessandro Volta invents the battery at age 55.
- After 24 days of work, George Handel completes his Messiah at age 56.
- Power lifter Odd Haugen is featured in National Geographic as America’s strongest man at age 57.
- After 40 years of trying, John Dane III, a father of seven, earns a berth on the Olympic team in the star class of the sailing event - at age 58.
- Satchel Paige pitches for the Kansas City A’s, becoming the oldest pitcher and player of any kind to play In a major league game - at age 59.
- Tony Parziale discovers the numeric definition of middle-age – at age 60. (I’m now working on plans for my 120th birthday party. Be on the look-out for a save-the-date!)
- Sharpshooter Annie Oakley nails 98 out of 100 clay pigeons in an exhibition in North Carolina at age 61.
- Louis Pasteur inoculates his first patient against rabies at age 62.
- Voltaire completes his famous satirical book, Candide at age 63.
- Oscar Hammerstein crafts the lyrics for the musical The Sound of Music at age 64.
- Colonel Harland Sanders begins licensing for his special chicken recipe which will come to be known as Kentucky Fried Chicken at age 65.
This next example is for our middle-aged Alumni (and members of all ages): It lets us know that the only limits that we truly have are the one that we put on ourselves.
- Ichijirou Araja, age 100, climbs Mount Fuji.
“The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.” – Walter Baghot
Yours in Rotary,
Tony Parziale