Don't ever believe you are "too old" for anything you haven't experienced, because that translates to you being too old to experience the next day; week; month; year. Dealing with my Depression Disorder (PTSD) I have learned that it is these subtle ways that we use language that result in the conditioning of our psyches to believe in limitations that don't really exist.
I have a really good friend from a hot climate, Middle-Eastern Country, although he had been here, in the USA for about 8 years, and despite the heavy snows we had since he had moved here, he had never been sled riding. In the Mid-West every few years or so we get monster snow storms that have been known to cause us to be snowbound for as long as a week, so when an impending storm is announced people will gather at the home of a friend (usually one with a wood burning stove and/or a generator) and turn it into a fun little party. At one such gathering Ali had confessed to me that he wanted to go sled riding but was too embarrassed because, at 36 years old, he felt he was too old.
The Nurturer in me immediately took over by saying "You're never too old!"
The friend we were staying with didn't have a sled, nor anything that I could readily improvise into one, so I went out knocking on neighbor's doors to see if I could borrow one, telling them that I had a 36 year old man from the Middle-East who had never been sledding. Not only were these people, strangers to both me and Ali, eager to help out, they wanted to go too! We eventually had a group of 20 people most well over the age of 36, who all had one of the most magical, fun filled days of our lives! We transcended the limitations of age, even if only for one day; a childish activity coupled with an adult perspective; a poignant reminder of the limited time we have to make ourselves and help others to be happy; for some the last time they would ever have such a huge smile fixed to their faces by the cold, later to be melted away by the warmth of fire and friendship into two upward curls of contentment at the ends of their lips. Ali bought a house a few years later and in the requirements for the realtor he insisted that the property it sat on had to have a hill suitable to use as a sled run and now that is there we gather for those storms.
