In our culture, we try so desperately sometimes to hold on to our youth, continually moving the sliding scale of age up, up, as we age, signifying and re-signifying the age at which we believe one has become "old." We look in the mirror, add up the wrinkles, the sags, gray hair, and the pounds, and come up short---no longer good enough, young enough.
For what?
To relate to the endless images of eternal youth marked by the actors and actresses that continually parade across our vision in movies that help ease our craving for story and meaning?
To re-enter the job market, where our young are chewed up and spit out in too short a time only to be replaced by yet another young wiz?
To cast off another friend or lover for one who has the excitement and mystery of newness?
To convince ourselves that we can live forever?
