大象传媒

When I turned 21 I had a party 鈥� dressed in a brown, smocked dress, hair fashionably flicked out, my naturally dead-straight locks held rigid with a full can of hairspray.听听At 30 I funked and frolicked at a wine bar, and at 40 (and now grudgingly sharing my celebrations with my husband Dan) my main memory is of the mountain of chocolate-steeped profiteroles the waiter nearly dropped on my lap.听听50 was a 1970s party, The Village People and the iridescent Queen, me resplendent in an Abba outfit with sequined flares, Dan looking like he was about to be shot out of a cannon, though insisting he was actually dressed as Elvis. And then 60, well that was lockdown鈥�. small, spoiled at home and with limited opportunities for serious boogying.听

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Age and aging is taken seriously in Judaism, just not by me.听

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In the Talmud it tells us that at 30 we are at peak strength, at 40 we should be wise, at 50 we can give advice, at 60 we are respected as seniors, and that 80 is the age of strength.听听At 100, apparently, we are as good as gone out of the world.

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The late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh lived to the ripe age of 99.听听When I think about him, during this week of national mourning, I remember his strength as a young man serving in the British navy. I think of his wisdom as the founder of the extraordinary Duke of Edinburgh Award, and of his strength in his lifelong commitment to duty and to service.听

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These days, as Captain Tom made abundantly clear, 100 can be the life and soul of the party 鈥� and it is sad that the Duke passed away just before that momentous milestone.

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So there won鈥檛 be a national party for Prince Philip on June 10th, no Abba, no cake,听no sequins. But we can still celebrate a life well lived, a legacy of achievement, 10 adorable great grandchildren and, most importantly, that for over 70 years the Duke danced throughout his long life with his very own queen held tightly by his side.听

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