At a recent alumni gathering, the theme of a speech was “Midlife,” and it was met with continuous laughter. Let’s go into what was shared.
Dear classmates,
A song entitled Tomorrow Will Be Better is meant to instill confidence and encouragement. In reality, whether tomorrow will be better is uncertain; however, what is certain is that you will be older tomorrow.
As you journey through life, you come to realize its relentless passage. At a certain age, you must acknowledge the formidable force of gravity. While all your organs remain intact, they tend to sag, leading to the saying: “Everything sags, except for high blood pressure.”
Significant changes occur in your body as you age. Your apple-shaped body transforms into a pear-shaped one. You find yourself dozing off while sitting, yet unable to sleep when lying down. You struggle to remember what you wish to recall and can’t forget what you’d instead not like to remember. Worse still, you find yourself tearless when you want to cry, and wiping tears when you laugh.
Your hair turns gray, and despite your efforts to pluck it out, it grows back with the spring breeze. Men often comb their hair from the sides to the middle to cover thinning areas.
From midlife on, memory declines
Memory noticeably declines. Moving from one room to another, you forget why you went there. You forget what you’ve just said, leading to repetitive muttering. One elderly gentleman even recounted laughing halfway through and forgetting why he was laughing.
Young couples grow old together, but what about elderly couples? Some describe it as tasteless yet too precious to discard, unable to change each other’s bad habits. Some couples argue over everything, never compromising. Before marriage, there was “so much to say,” but after marriage, it became “say it nicely.”
Every life that enters this world departs bit by bit, like “fixed deposits with withdrawals.” One moment, you’re a spirited youth; the next, you’re a melancholic middle-ager. Some mock the elderly, saying they suffer from “knowledge degradation, organ aging, and rigid thinking.”
Therefore, mental fortitude is self-reliant. You must keep your mind young even as wrinkles form on your face. Your attitude toward life needs adjustment; you once exchanged health for wealth, and now you use wealth to regain health.
There are three stages in life: in youth, you pursue good “academic records”; in middle age, success is measured by “experience”; as you age, you must pay attention to your “medical records.” As the saying goes: “What good is it to gain the world if you lose your health?” Don’t value money over life. Nothing in this world truly belongs to you except your body. To enjoy a feast, you need good teeth; to spend wealth, you need life. To enjoy the scenery, you need mobility; to carry away a mountain of gold, you need strength.
The true hero is the one who works hard, not the fool counting money from a hospital bed. Your only boast should be your health! When others have left or are bedridden, you can still bask in the sun, sip tea, and enjoy a healthy life. Treat yourself well because spare parts are hard to come by and costly. And they might not even be available… I wish my dear classmates health, happiness, a youthful heart, and a constant smile!
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