Rediscovering Magic: Staying Young at Heart to Avoid Burnout
“Fairytales can come true; it can happen to you If you’re young at heart.”
We all know the lyrics which were written by Carolyn Leigh and made famous by Frank Sinatra’s incredible voice. Likely, you’re already singing along to this classic.
I remember one day when I was living in my auto-pilot days- this song came on, and I couldn’t understand it anymore. I had heard it when I was a teen, it always made me feel whimsical. It evoked hope and made it seem like life could have a little bit of magic if you just knew how to find it.
Then, I began adulting.
Adulting turned to overwork. Overworking turned to autopilot. And autopilot meant burnout for me—no more feeling song lyrics. No more appreciating the sounds of birds. No more languishing in the sheer pleasure of family time. I couldn’t feel the song anymore.
Fast-forward through my journey of time, space, and countless hours reshaping my life, and here I sit, realizing that the key to never falling into burnout in the first place exists in this classic song.
Face Challenges with the Right Mindset!
“You can laugh when your dreams fall apart at the seams.”
“Don’t you know that it’s worth every treasure on earth to be young at heart.”
-Carolyn Leigh (Sung by Frank Sinatra)
I didn’t laugh though, not even a little bit. Not when I knew I was in a bad marriage. Not when I knew he had left us. Not when I realized I was solely responsible for three innocent lives. Not when I was working miserable jobs. Not when I was scraping pennies together.
I didn’t laugh. I curved my mouth, I made a sound. But I didn’t really laugh, I had forgotten how.
“And life gets more exciting with each passing day.”
Well, sure. Life was exciting the way a racing trip in an ambulance in an emergency situation was exciting. Somehow, I am pretty positive that wasn’t what Sinatra meant, but that’s what I focused on.
“Don’t you know that it’s worth every treasure on earth to be young at heart.”
Nope. I did not know that. Who had time for that? Who can make a living like that? I had bills to pay, mouths to feed, and way too much adulting to do to be trapped inside some sort of bubble where I chased the sunshine and butterflies. It struck me that I was living a life not just contrary to this song, but I was purposefully choosing to do so.
Old vs. Young; Which mindset aligns better?
I am years past my burnout and living on the other side of a lifestyle overhaul, so my perspective these days is in a much brighter place. I live a fairly aligned life full of purposeful actions and habits that I’ve framed in order to maintain balance at the forefront of our daily lives. Where I live now, I enjoy the vast majority of the year outside. On the beach, walking in town, biking, playing pickleball… there is a lot of outdoor activity that affords me time to notice all manner of things.
I’ve come to notice that people seem divided into two groups.
The “young” and the “old.”
The “old” are crankier. They rarely say hello when we pass. They speed around always in a rush despite the speed limit. They rarely smile. They look weathered regardless of age.
The “young” among us are outside waving hello. They chat with us when we get our mail. We see them out taking bike rides and riding their golf carts to visit friends. They have long dinner parties where their laughter can be heard outside for hours. They are always up and about and seemingly never bothered when the groundskeeper comes to blow leaves near them while they are luxuriating at the pool. They go off in the morning to work with a smile and wave and return much the same way. They just seem healthier.
We’ve gotten into many conversations with the “young.” They all seem to embody this song. They live with a sense of wonder. They embrace each day as a gift to be unwrapped. They are excited by new things. They are excited by stability and by adventure.
They savor their meals instead of wolfing them down. They are involved in many community organizations but seem tireless, doing these all with joy and fascination. Every encounter with them makes us feel like we are the most special people they’ve encountered all day. They battle their medical ailments and family situations with courage, grace, and positive dispositions. Even on days when we’ve seen them struggling with something, their words always end in a positive way.
We’ve come to the easy conclusion that the young among us embrace being young at heart. They cultivate it and seek out ways to live their lives with youthful wonder. While the old among us have their heads down and are on autopilot as they look through the neighbors around them who try to embrace friendship.
Make it stand out
I choose young… How about you?
I am sure there are many factors of personality that come into play with this theory. When dealing with people, nothing is as simple as young and old.
But for me, this was a very real example of how I should strive to live my life.
You can be 24 and be very old- ignoring things around you, racing around, not embracing or savoring moments of joy, breeding negativity.
Or, you can be 73- eyes up greeting the world, shaking hands with passersby because you can, watching the birds fly around because you made time to savor the little things, and juggling the cancer diagnosis with a smile. One embraces staying young at heart forever. One forgets what made being young so wonderful in the first place.
At the end of the day, which one do you choose to be?
