Monet was painting great pictures at 86.
Titian put the last brush stroke to the "Battle of Lepanto" at 98; he finished his "Last Supper" at 99.
Goethe finished "Faust" at 81.
Tennyson wrote "Crossing the Bar" when he was 83.
Voltaire was still penning plays when he died at the age of 84.
Wagner wrote his finest operas in the final years of his life, "Parsifal" in the last year. He died at the age of 70.
At 74 Verdi composed his "Othello" and at 80 he produced his famous "Falstaff".
At 50 the mind hasn't yet reached its zenith. At 60 it is at its best and from then on declines so gradually that at 80 those who have kept themselves mentally alert can be just as productive as at 30. Memory may slip a bit, but judgment and reason may actually improve, and creative imagination is scarcely touched by age... - Marie Beynon Ray from "Action or Atrophy"
If the short essay above isn't enough to convince you that age and accomplishment are irrelevant I'm wondering what could possibly persuade you that indeed we can do many "impossible" tasks at any time of our lives.
I think it is true that many people do not fulfill their destiny in life. It is a sad note but often true. The extraordinary people listed above were not just exceptional in their abilities- they also had something in common with each other AND us. They were also ordinary people. Yes, you read that right. They were ordinary. If you can be extraordinary you have to start with ordinary.
People want inaccessible heroes- not far from the Superman fantasy but this is not practical and I believe we need to stop expecting our heroes to be perfect in every way. It's not normal and it's rather annoying, when you really get down to it, that we've set these people apart from us. Get them off that pedestal and start talking because you never know when you may have to fill those shoes some day yourself.
You don't want to be left not knowing what to do now, do you?
The Castle Lady sends wishes and greetings that are timeless!
Quote for the day: Age is strictly a case of mind over matter.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
-Jack Benny (1894-1974)
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