Elements and birthdays have been intertwined for me since boyhood, when I learned about atomic numbers. At 11, I could say “I am sodium” (Element 11), and now at 79, I am gold.
The Joy of Old Age by Oliver Sacks. The article is alright. What is great is the popularization — recognition — of gaining age. As opposed to dreading and ignoring the last 40 years of our lives. Our culture avoids the past and silences the old.
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- read
tags:
- life