The first time I saw the public-interest ad on CCTV showing a group of energetic 20 something shouting out loud “ I am 23 years old”, I admired them extremely. Youth is a precious treasure. Youth means all kinds of possibilities. The future is in your own hands and the road is extending in front of you. You are eager to explore the outside world when you leave the ivory tower. No wonder you look so proud and dauntless. Yet, I thought about myself. Quite amusing, my age has the same number as them but in different order. I don’t think anyone at my age will proudly yell out loud as the way the 23 years old do. Why is that? Maybe we all admire youth but are afraid of growing old. Perhaps one day you will see you have gained a little freckles and wrinkles at the corner of your eyes or maybe you have found you skin is not as smooth, tender and elastic as before. That is what time has brought us secretly. You have to accept it without any excuses. So what to be proud of when you have lost your youth and begun to enter the middle age! However, the middle age me inside my mind began to protest. She is angry at my negative opinion about middle age and growing old. She says that middle age means a different phase in our life. It is also very critical. When we reach middle age, we have a clear mind of what we are actually like. We can be mature enough to deal with some problems. When we have a family of our own, we also learn the responsibility of a family. We are growing up as we manage to operate every household affair. We can be good parents and good examples in the children’s eyes and good sons and daughters in parents’ eyes as well. Middle age is not a crisis phase.

Well, yes, I am not afraid of middle age actually. On the contrary, I always feel thankful for what middle age has given to me. Although I no longer have the craze to see the soap opera like I was in my 20s, I don’t miss anything. However, I have a sober mind to read more books and learn more. Although I have a sweet tooth, I never indulge myself in any high sugar and high-energy food. I pay more attention to my health and never stay up at night or eat junk food. I even become a fan of searching the way of keeping in good health. I love doing sports and keeping fit. In my middle age, I cherish my health more.

When we were in our 20s we had crazily liberated our passion. Now we are in our middle age, it’s time to settle down and behave ourselves in a rational way.

The appearance change is superficial and what we possess in our mind is much more important. There is a writer once said “ when you read enough, your appearance will change” what she said is the power of reading, which I think it also means power of what we have in mind. Therefore, when your mind is rich and varied in the middle age, you will definitely look quite different. You are energetic but not hysteric. You are gorgeous but not frivolous. What time has presented you is a sign of your maturity. And we have to take the good advantages of it. It is no shame of growing up and growing old. Accept what you have become in the middle age and appreciate the changes and try to make much better changes to create a better self. Middle age gives me recognitions about life and I will never trade anything for that.