Living This August

A Stanford study has concluded that humans age at two key moments: once at 44 years old and again at 60. The molecular changes of 108 individuals aged between 25 and 75 were tracked over an average of 1.7 years. There appears to be another peak around 80, with significant variability among individuals. Perhaps that’s why I don't remember feeling better than at 45. That age at which I could have voted according to Manuel Hilario Ayuso of the Federal Republican Party in the discussion on suffrage in Spain in 1931. What does aging matter if you reach 46 and die? Following the shock over Caritina, the mothers of my non-slim friends have called their daughters to get cardiac check-ups. As Mar Flores copied during her holidays in Sardinia, "We will never be this age again, nor live this August, nor be like this. Enjoy it to the fullest and don't complicate yourself with what complicates you." I stand with Mar, even if I am a bit heavier.