There’s a new expression going around lately that I find a bit jarring. The first time I heard it was when my kids and I were looking at old pictures of them, and one of them said, “That was peak life, right there.” The insinuation was that those were the good ol’ days. The days before responsibility and school drama and the expectations of reality. They were just kids, footloose and fancy free, getting to yuck it up with their parents.
And they were right, to a degree. Those were some good old days. Great days. The best. But do we want them to be the best days ever? Do we really want to live like the best days are behind us and there is nothing better to come? That’s no way to live, is it? Always looking back?
What Tomorrow Can Be
When I hear people say that life will never get better than the current moment they are in, or that some moment in the past was “peak life,” I flinch. Because my genuine feeling is that there is only one healthy way to view what was and what’s to come: that while there might be tougher days ahead, there will be better ones too. Ones that will yield magic that could not be fully appreciated in our youth.
Does getting older suck? Yes. Does having to pay bills and manage a never-ending growing list of responsibilities overwhelm you at times? Certainly. But there is so much good that comes with aging and responsibility, would you want to miss it? Would you want to miss the special moments, friendships, and love that those years grant you? They might not be like the moments where you pulled an epic backflip on the ski slopes, or clowned around with your siblings, or smacked a home run, but there is magic in the burdens to come. Some pain, yes. Plenty of weariness. But beauty beyond your imagination.
That is, after all, what tomorrow can be: beauty beyond your imagination. Because who knows what could happen. Isn’t that wonderful?
The Magic to Come
And the excitement and thrill we find in our youth doesn’t have to end because our bodies can’t do what they used to. We just have to recalibrate knowing that we are now living for more than ourselves. How beautiful is that? That who you are, and your presence, matters to a host of people that count on you to be there. Not just to pay the bills, but for a laugh. To share a memory. To expand upon the shared energy your connection to them creates.
In old age, we get to deal with lots of problems: health concerns, worries, stress. I won’t sugarcoat that. But all of those burdens are for something. For someone. For many ones. And if we can take stock in that fight, we can find magic even on our worst physical days.
Peak Life? Not Yet
Sure, you may have setbacks, but no matter the circumstances of our conditions, there’s always a chance to have some moment—some reflection or shared experience or sentiment—that fills our spirit (if not always our bodies) with warmth and gratitude. Gratitude that simply can’t be fully appreciated in our youth.
And who knows. Maybe after battling a chronic health condition for so long that you forget what it’s like to feel normal, your body does recover, and you break through and defeat that which doctors said you couldn’t. Maybe you’ll even be able to do something like go backcountry hiking again for the first time in years. Wouldn’t that be exciting? Nothing says “peak life” like reclaiming that which you lost, with newfound appreciation.
It’s enough to make me wonder what “peak life” is coming next. I can’t imagine.
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