One of the positives of getting older is that you forget your

“One of the positives of getting older is that you forget your age. Then you find out that you're younger than you thought you were.” — Michael McIntyre

Thus spoke Michael McIntyre, the jester-philosopher of our age, whose laughter conceals a quiet wisdom. Beneath the humor of his words lies a profound meditation on the passage of time and the mystery of aging — that strange journey in which the body grows older, yet the spirit, if tended rightly, grows lighter and freer. In his jest, he captures a paradox of life: that the mind, once burdened by numbers and milestones, can rediscover youth not by resisting age, but by forgetting to count it. What he calls forgetfulness is in truth a form of liberation — a release from society’s obsession with time’s relentless ticking.

The meaning of McIntyre’s quote lies in this subtle shift of perception. To grow older is inevitable, but to become old is a choice. When one is young, the counting of years brings pride — each birthday a badge of progress. Yet, as the decades pass, that counting can become a weight. The wise, however, learn to set it down. They no longer measure life by years, but by moments, by laughter, by the quiet joy of being alive. In forgetting their age, they remember their essence — that eternal spark that no calendar can measure. Thus, in his humor, McIntyre points toward a truth once spoken by the philosophers: that time rules only the flesh, not the soul.

Indeed, this idea is as old as humanity itself. The ancient Greeks spoke of two kinds of time: Chronos, the clock that devours all things, and Kairos, the sacred moment that stands outside of it. Those who live by Chronos age swiftly, for they are forever watching the hourglass. But those who live by Kairos — who lose themselves in love, in creation, in joy — find that time loosens its grip. They may look older, yet inside they remain unwrinkled. McIntyre, in his lighthearted way, reminds us that when we stop tracking the years, life reveals its eternal youth.

Consider the life of Pablo Picasso, who painted, dreamed, and created until the final days of his ninety-one years. He once said, “It takes a long time to become young.” He understood what McIntyre speaks of — that age is not the loss of youth, but its perfection. For as we grow older, we begin to shed the fears and insecurities that once made us rigid. We learn to laugh at ourselves, to embrace imperfection, to see the beauty in simply being. And in that acceptance, something miraculous happens: the heart grows young again, and we feel, as McIntyre says, “younger than you thought you were.”

There is also a gentle irony in his words — a jest against the human tendency to fret over time. Many spend their middle years lamenting the years gone by, forgetting that joy itself is ageless. A moment of laughter, of love, of wonder, carries no birthdate. The comedian, in his craft, teaches us to take life less seriously — not in ignorance, but in gratitude. For when one laughs, one steps outside the tyranny of time. The laughter of an old soul and the laughter of a child are indistinguishable; they are the same voice of the eternal self, untouched by age or decay.

McIntyre’s humor also conceals compassion. He knows that growing older can bring fear — fear of irrelevance, of fragility, of endings. But his words remind us that life continues to surprise us, even as the years pass. There comes a time when, freed from the pursuit of youth, one discovers a deeper vitality — a joy not of the body, but of the spirit. And sometimes, in that lightness, one truly does feel “younger than you thought you were.” This is not delusion; it is awakening. It is the realization that youth was never a season — it was a state of being.

Practical counsel for the seeker:

• Do not count your years too closely; count instead your moments of laughter and kindness.

• Cultivate presence, for the mind that lives in the now cannot feel old.

• Laugh often — for laughter is the breath of youth.

• And when you look in the mirror, see not time’s markings, but the story of a life still unfolding.

For as Michael McIntyre reminds us, time loses its power when met with joy. The one who laughs at age defeats it. The one who forgets his years remembers his essence. And the one who carries wonder in the heart will always be young — not by the measure of the clock, but by the rhythm of the soul. So live, laugh, and forget to count — for in that forgetfulness lies the greatest secret of all: the rediscovery of youth eternal.