counting by sevens

Some years ago I read something that stuck with me. It had to do with the way age was counted in the olden days -- namely, by sevens.

And when I thought about it, it made sense to me.

At age 7, kids had survived childhood. They were becoming conscious of the world around them. Little girls had their first communion, little boys could start learning a trade.

At 14, they could become apprentices -- for a period of seven years. Girls got their periods and could become mothers. Boys could become fathers. If you were Jewish, you got mitzvahed. You begin to regard yourself as an adult, unaware that the rest of society doesn't.

At 21, you are officially a person. You can vote and drink. You're in fabulous physical health. The world is your oyster.

At 28, you're at the very peak of your physical powers if you're a male athlete. If you're a quantum physicist, you're at the very peak of your mental powers. From this point on, the graph begins to curve downward in those two key categories.

But 35... ah, what a time in your life... if you haven't blown it. And even if you've blown it, you've got time to recover.

And since I have recently passed through the 42, 49, and 56 year plateaus, and am approaching the next one this year, I'll be ruminating on them in subsequent posts.