I think this is stated in a fun-loving manner, but I hear this often from a much younger friend who is in their prime: Age is just a number. While I tour with this friend, he might be casually speaking, while I, on the other hand, may be riding the fine line between an all-day steady state pace and redlining. On those occasions, I ask plenty of questions and listen, speaking rarely to maximize oxygen intake. If you, like me, don’t find age to be just a number, this is an excellent strategy to employ as you ascend with the younger folks.
Up to a certain point in life, the saying “age is just a number” is likely true. Where this point lies, who knows? But, generally, the point where age tilts toward not being just a number is in one’s late 40s. Of course, the fulcrum I’m speaking about varies from person to person. With a whole lot of people out there, each aging to some degree. The sample size is huge—there is no doubt that aging is often associated with physical decline. In some of us, it is a slow-drip decline, while for others it is precipitous. So that one dude in the Tetons that is in his mid-50s and climbs and skis 8,000-meter peaks with young folks and sends 5.14 (a, b, or c?), he is my hero, but damn, he’s an outlier.
