33

The USA Weekend Sunday newspaper supplement carries a feature each week that notes celebrity birthdays during the coming week. By coincidence, pro football quarterback Peyton Manning and actresses Reese Witherspoon and Keri Russell all turn 33 within the next two or three days.

By any reasonable reckoning, age thirty-three is not old. However, there must also be the realization that it isn't exactly young either. Thirty-three was the age where I realized that even if I lived to be 100, I had moved into the middle third of that lifespan. As unpleasant as the thought seemed at the time, I had to deal with the fact that I was getting awfully close to middle age.

It's all a matter of perspective, of course. Currently, from the standpoint of one in his mid-fifties, thirty-three seems ridiculoulsy young. A 33-year old has another thirty, forty, maybe even fifty years of productive living ahead. By no stretch of the imagination could that be considered anything other than the bloom of youth.

Reality insists on intruding, though. Even barring serious injury, Peyton Manning most likely has only 1/3 of his NFL career ahead of him. Most actresses (excluding the indomitable Meryl Streep) see their careers begin to decline once they pass 40. So, Reese and Keri better make the most of the next few years.

The secret is to stay ready . . . make preparations for each coming stage in our lives. Being 33 is different from being 22, but it's also different from being 44, 55, or 66. The person who puts God first always, and lives each stage of life to the fullest is the one who gets the most satisfaction out of each day along the journey from youth to old age.

Comments, anybody?