“Wow Rita, you look great! How old are you?”

“Sorry, I don’t give my age,” is always my answer.

The usual response is, “I don’t understand,” as they tell me how proud I should be. I have to admit there is a little part of my ego that agrees with them, but then again, that’s not what is important to me. I’ll tell you what is.

There are many things I do to maintain my looks, but what I consider most important is that I think young.

And here is why. One day when I was “getting up there,” I had a facial and the aesthetician commented on how good my skin looked. I had to agree that it was pretty good for my age, and I told her my age.

With that, she went into a completely different mode, offering to help me down off the table and going on about how much assistance I needed from her. That was my lesson learned. Age is just a number, but when she heard that number, she started treating me differently. In her mind, all people my age needed to be helped. No thank you. I’ll let you know if I do.

If I have an ache or pain, I simply tell myself to take care of it and move on. I don’t think that because I’m old, it’s natural. I think young.

My spirituality is another reason I don’t tell my age. My spirituality teaches me that we are all the same, and that we have the same heart. I don’t want to be identified by a number that separates me from you.

The mind is a powerful thing, and if I think my age, I am my age. Being young in mind and spirit keeps me from being labeled and put in a box.

I know some will disagree and stick to the pride aspect of aging healthfully, but I can tell you what works for me. Look inside and ponder that. Namaste.

Rita Firestone Seger is a doctor of divinity from American University of Holistic Theology and a published author. She was invited to contribute this editorial after an uplifting conversation with Desert Health Publisher Lauren Del Sarto, and we thank her for her inspiration.