I’LL KEEP RAGING AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT

It’s not often that I pay too much attention to anything written in the Guardian. But an article in that publication that I stumbled across last week online brought me up short.

The piece suggested, on the back of findings from a scientific study at Stanford University, that human beings do not age at a consistent rate.

There are, the study concluded, two times when we go through accelerated bursts of ageing – and, in the process, suddenly feel much older.

The first happens when you are 44. I don’t remember feeling particularly extra crumbly around that time; in fact, that’s the age at which I started training for my second (and definitely last) London Marathon.

The second, though, kicks in when you’ve just passed your 60th birthday. A milestone that I reached – with a considerable degree of denial – in May 2024. Three months ago, as I write this.

So, right about now, I should be sensing a rapid onset of the aches and pains and general decay associated with ageing.

Dedication without compromise

Do lots of things hurt these days? Yes, they do.

Do I suffer increasingly from senior moments? Yes, I do.

I had an embarrassing experience at a networking event a couple of weeks back when I forgot the name of the guy I’d sat next to at lunch a few days earlier.

But, to be kind to myself for a change, the occasional memory lapse is explicable by the large number of networking sessions I attend, hosted by many different groups. From week to week, I meet a lot of people.

There is no getting away from the fact that 2024 has been a challenging year for LeBoo Media. For the first time in five years, I don’t have a main client requesting copywriting services from me on a regular basis, week by week and month by month.

I’ve got plenty of clients who call on me reasonably regularly, but the story of this year has been one of chasing, chasing and chasing some more for new customers to keep the wheels of my business turning.

And I am extremely encouraged by how completely I am dedicated to this activity.

It’s just a number, but it’s a big one

Hitting the age of 60 caused me some angst because, I realised after some reflection, you cannot be in your sixties and be considered young in any way at all.

Yes, I know age is just a number; but when that number starts with a six, you can’t duck simple reality.

But… despite this dreary realisation, at no point this year have I thought of giving up.

I’ve not been tempted to suggest we sell the house and downsize, or start dipping into my pension.

I still want to be copywriting for clients in Kingston, London and beyond. I’m as dedicated and energetic as ever.

In short, I’m not ready for my pipe and slippers yet, not by a long chalk.

I’ve always loved Dylan Thomas’s exhortation to “rage against the dying of the light”. However accelerated my ageing process may be now that I’ve slipped into a seventh decade, that’s how I’ll carry on for as long as it feels right.

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