I must be 52

A recent study in Britain has shown that the average person becomes grumpy once they hit the age of 52. See the following excerpt:

"The poll of 2,000 Britons found those over 50 laughed far less than their younger counterparts and complained far more.

While infants laughed up to 300 times a day, that figure had fallen to an average of six laughs by teenage years and only 2.5 daily chuckles for those over 60, the survey for cable TV channel Dave found."

I guess becoming old isn't a laughing matter, what with the ageing, the wrinkles, the loss of mobility, the numbers game that shows that you're ever closer to death...
the loss of all your childhood dreams, the years lost worrying about yourself and others around you, the time devoted to others that you'll never get back...

Of course infants laugh up to 300 times a day. They have no clue what's going on! They think that everything shiny is interesting and that toes taste good. They have their innocence and their dreams and their every need being taken care of by other people.

Teens may have their acne and peer pressure type issues, but they're still able to laugh at themselves and at each other. Have you ever seen a high school yearbook? There are hours of laughtime entertainment right there.

Does it not surprise anyone that the years associated with midlife crisis and the fact that half your life is over and that half may have been wasted will cause some distress in people? Is it any wonder that this distress may result in decreased laughter?

Grow up, people. Getting old is not fun. These people are grumpy and they have every right to be. I'm pretty cantakerous myself and nowhere near 52; I guess I'm only 52 in my spirit.

Vera Wang in a recent edition of InStyle put it best:

The best part of ageing? The wisdom. The worst part? The mirror.

So true.