Sunbeams and raindrops make up the fountain of youth.

I am in my 30s. And I am more than glad to be, not once, but most often times assumed to be in my 20s. It makes me smile and I wonder why people would make such remark and assumption. I never really thought about it until lately when the subject of age difference came up in a conversation. I decided to make a thorough self-check and point out the hits and miss of (my own) aging.

1. Let go of the age context. An old adage says that beauty is skin deep, well, I must say, aging is just a state of mind. If you perceive yourself as a 20 yr old on a 30 yr old body, then by all means, please believe so. On the other hand, if you feel and resemble a 35 yr old trapped in a young yet miserable 20 year old, you must then evaluate your state of mind, state of affairs and even self-esteem.

2. Be childlike, not childish. Remember how you've always admired the innocence of a child. Well, guess what, we never lost that. We just become more consumed with worldly, scholastic affairs while we age. When we reach the prime of our maturity, the innocence and wonder we once harbored becomes a vague, almost forgotten human trait. Be a kid again, give in to that once in a while, never lose grasp of that 5 yr old little girl that would run crazy and aimlessly at the plain sight of a huge playground. Eat ice cream, don't stop imagining things, look at the clouds and create stories. Most of all, do walk in the rain. Those childhood memories will flood back into you.

3. Never stop learning. By learning I mean experiencing and exploring life. Learn the things and crafts or even sport you missed when you were too occupied or perhaps I say-- rushing to be older than what you used to be. There must be that one thing you've always, always wanted to be or do when you were younger. Just go for it, may it be to run naked in a football field; skinny dip with your friends under the moonlight; drive for long hours to nowhere; jump into a bus and head into the unknown in the middle of the night; take up an art or violin class or perhaps drumming, crocheting or whatnot; learn to rap and dance in hip-hop, or waltz or tinikling maybe; start a project however silly people ought it to be. Hell yeah, just do it.

4. Believe in Equality. The curse of societal bondage and stereotyping wont hand this to you in a silver platter but you have to believe that there is a greater chance for equality if you become an ambassador for it. Gender equality is much a pressing issue in the many minds of human, making its way to endless courts of debate. But equality transcends many passages- age, sex, social stature, education, capacity, religion, belief and even in love. Believe that we are equals, whatever state or form you are in. The relevance of your existence and capacities defies the constraints of what defines you.

5. Take Care of Yourself, foremost. No matter how cliche', the secret to being golden is when you polish and nurture yourself to be golden. Love yourself, take care of yourself. Love the life you have and the world where you are born in. Karma begins within you, what you take in is what you emit back to life. If you eat golden sun rays for breakfast, you will be a radiant being in the day. If you dance under the rain, you can dance your way in any possible life situation. If you love life, life will love you back.

- T