This porridge is too hot!” exclaimed
Goldilocks.
So, she tasted the porridge from the second
bowl. “This porridge is too cold!”
So, she tasted the last bowl of
porridge. “Ahhh, this is just right,”
she said happily. And she ate it all
up.
From the traditional fairy tale,
“Goldilocks and the three bears
When does a person reach the Goldilocks time
of life? That is the time of life when
your chair is neither too small nor too big, your porridge is neither too hot
nor too cold, and your bed neither too hard nor too soft.
Is it perhaps around the time you graduate
from high-school? You may be young and healthy.
You may have your first sweetheart.
You may see your life ahead as being full of opportunities.
Then again, you may be spotty and
awkward. Your sweetheart may have gotten
into a better university and be about to leave you. The future may seem so full of important
choices that you are sure to get it all wrong.
Is the Goldilocks time then perhaps when
you have found your life partner, but before you have kids? You may have few financial worries, and be
enjoying a double income. You may have
settled into a career and feel confident at work. You may have many friends around you with
time and money enough to keep you in good company.
Then again, you may not see any purpose or
direction to your life. You may be good
at your job only because it is so repetitive, boring and lacking in
responsibility. You may look with envy
on your friends, who all seem to be getting happily married or making a success
of their lives, whilst you just stumble along confusedly.
Perhaps the Goldilocks time, if you can
remain healthy, is the time of your retirement.
You may be financially secure.
You may be enjoying the peace of mind that comes from reduced
responsibilities. You may have a
grandchild or two, and laugh as your kids struggle with the dirty nappies.
Then again, you may be scared to spend your
money in case you have to pay for care as you get older. All the free time and lack of
responsibilities may simply feel like loneliness. Your kids may be too busy with their own
problems to bring the grandkids round as often as you’d like.
It’s hard to pick a perfect time of life. There will always be things that could be
better. Each period of your life has its
unique benefits and drawbacks.
But if there is a Goldilocks time, I can
say with confidence that it comes somewhere between the ages of 3 months and 97
years.
Looking at my three month old son, I can’t
help but notice how frustrating life must be for a baby. Until you can walk and talk, it’s like living
your whole life as a passenger on a budget flight. Your entire experience can basically be
reduced to three things: eating, sleeping, and going to the toilet. And you need help from the surly
flight attendants to do all of these things.
I have less experience of 97 year
olds. But I saw in the news today that a
97 year old Japanese Buddhist monk voluntarily gave up his driving license in
order to encourage other older citizens to do the same. The number of traffic accidents caused by
elderly drivers has been increasing and there have been a number of campaigns
aimed at getting them to stop driving. I
suppose people are reluctant to do so because it would be an admission that
the Goldilocks time is over; that life is again becoming a flight on a budget
airline, with surly attendants.
If you are reading this, then you must be
in the Goldilocks time right now. Go out
and eat that porridge while it is still hot.
Eat it all up.
Vocabulary:
porridge – a dish often eaten for breakfast
in Britain, made of boiled oatmeal and hot water or milk
to eat something up – to eat something completely,
so that nothing is left
spotty – of a person, having spots or small
red marks on their skin
repetitive – involving the same thing over
and over again
envy – jealousy; the feeling of wanting
what another person has
a drawback – a disadvantage; a negative
point
reluctant – unwilling; not wanting (to do )
surly – bad tempered or impolite
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