Today, I played pickup football with a group of 15 people, ranging in age from 11 to 55+.
As you might imagine, the ones closer to 55+ than 11 were making their fair share of comments about feeling old, rusty, out-of-shape, etc…
But, something interesting happens when you get 55+ year olds and those who think they’re close to it outside in the sun, playing an impromptu game, with a group of fun-loving people, calling plays and running routes, and doing it all how they used to as kids…
…You can almost see the years melt away, right off their bodies and faces, in real time.
Their outer shells soften. Their smiles come easier. Their physiology relaxes. The conversation lightens. Their bodies heats up and move more freely.
See, playing—in all of its forms—isn’t what makes us feel old… it’s what keeps us young.
And it isn’t until we decide that we’re “too old” to play that we truly start to age.