HAS YOUR “BEST IF USED BY” DATE PASSED?
Are you a person who wants to know if the ‘best if used by‘ date has passed on milk before drinking it? These dates are on all packaging of products that are deemed perishable.
Do you have a best by date on yourself? We are perishable too.
Consciously or subconsciously, we all have some figure in mind when we will stop working and some arbitrary age we would like to see before we expire.
Remember that the dates stamped on a product on the shelf are primarily a determination of the point at which the product loses value to the seller.
And a lot of excellent food is thrown out, not because it is no good, but because its ‘best if used by’ date has passed.
How Do We Measure Age?
How old are you right now? And how do you measure that?
Most of us count the number of birthdays we have celebrated when asked this question. Others will be elusive and respond with “Old enough to know better.” Or worse – “One foot in the grave.”
Some people reach a certain age after which they tell no one. If someone knew, they might be devalued or tossed away because they have passed their shelf life date.
If I count the number of years since I first arrived in physical form, I share a two-digit number with millions of other people.
I will not address the idea that I may have arrived eons earlier as an energy field or a daisy, in which case asking my age would be moot.
But we are physical beings, and as such, our bodies do have an expiration date. I am so glad I do not have that date stamped on my bottom!
Are you living according to predetermined shelf life? We have ‘middle-age,’ beginning with black condolence cards created to mark a 40th birthday in our country.
Many people must be buying these cards, or they wouldn’t be in the stores. What message are they sending?
Many retirement plans kick in when we turn 65, or complete x number of years with a company. Who determines this best if used by date?
Some insurances expire before the policyholder does. Add to this all the senior discounts that reward us for arriving at a certain age, and our value gets very confusing.
Are we valuable because of a perceived resale price? If we have been sitting on a shelf for a long time, does that mean we can be discounted?
Cosmic Reality of Aging
I want to propose an alternate way of looking at aging. Particularly advanced age.
What is advanced when it comes to aging? Would that be a spry 90-year-old who runs marathons?
Or would it be a person seventy years old who wants life insurance? For some people, turning 50 feels like the beginning of the end.
Instead of thinking about age from a marketing perspective that places value on appearance, longevity, and usefulness, we can think about age from an eternal perspective.
Come with me to outer space, where stars that no longer exist still shine, where the sun and moon hang by unseen forces and are treasured or worshipped.
What is the shelf life of a star?
Here we measure distance in time instead of miles, and despite all of our scientific research, we can only guess at the shelf life of the stars.
Consider comets and space ships and dreams that move with freedom and grace and sometimes collide. How old is old from this perspective?
In the framework of the Universe, life begins, passes, and ends “in the twinkling of an eye.” And yet, we don’t let go of hopes and dreams for a newborn baby. “He has his whole life ahead of him.”
I am not sure I can measure the twinkle of his life against the twinkle of, say Grandma Moses, and discern any difference.
If the stars that burned out millions of years ago still exist to guide mariners, inspire poets, and shine on lovers, what potential lies ahead for my life?
Do I have control of my calling in eternity? Will the light I carry and nurture today shine like the stars over future generations?
If so, then I no longer have a ‘best if used by’ date.
When your “Best if Used By” date has passed
If you feel useless because of some age-related changes, feel that your date has passed, or feel discounted, spend a few moments under the stars on a clear night.
Realize that your shine, your twinkle if you will, is eternal.
And although our 50, or 70, or 98 years seem advanced and in danger of losing their usefulness, remember, there is no shelf life on twinkling.
I am of an age where I think about my legacy. How do I want to be remembered? Will my life have mattered when I am gone?
Now, as I look into the night sky at the Big Dipper or Orion’s Belt, made up of stars that no longer exist, I marvel that their light continues to guide travelers, enthrall children, and inspire artists.
And I no longer let a ‘use by’ date dictate how I will live. Or shine.
Here are some more articles on the “Twinkling Side” of Aging
WHAT IS THE SECRET TO AGING WELL
