SEVENTEEN

There’s something very cool about turning 17—think K-Pop band and teen magazine covers. Seventeen is on the brink of being considered an adult, almost but not quite on your own. There are symbols that represent the 17th anniversary. The color is yellow. And carnelian is the gemstone associated with the 17th anniversary. It symbolizes warmth, joy and endurance. The 17th anniversary modern gift is furniture or the traditional gift is a watch. If you can find a watch made with carnelian—an orange-red stone—you can cover several bases with one gift. On the modern side is furniture, which symbolizes stability. I get the watch because you’ve stood the test of time, but I pondered this one, why furniture? After 17 years, I guess we figure you’ve been around long enough you are a permanent fixture—like practically becoming part of the furniture.

Happy Anniversary Society Life Magazine! With this issue it’s now been 17 years, 204 issues, almost 20,000 pages, and millions of words. I have been here with you for all of them. You have been an important part of my life and the community for the last 17 years and going strong. Much like the symbolism above, you have stood the test of time—even making it through a pandemic—and you have become a permanent fixture for readers every month. You’ve shared many stories of warmth, joy, endurance and stability within your pages. Much like all of the communities you cover, you have grown over time with them. I am proud of how far we have come since that first issue in May of 2006. We’ve covered a lot about life in 17 years.

In this issue, we are talking about looking and feeling great at any age. The articles really do show that age is just a number. It simply signifies how long a person has lived on earth. This series of numbers can not define what you’ve achieved, who you are or what you will still be able to accomplish. Whether old or young, we can achieve almost anything at any age as long as we feel good enough to do it. And that’s the real truth of it—age is just a number if you feel well enough to not care about it. With good health comes the feeling of a more youthful you.

Check out our cover story featuring age management experts Beverly Hills Rejuvenation Center (starting on page 26). Then flip the pages for some secrets for aging gracefully (page 30), how to care for our eyes as we get older (page 36), and finally powerful anti-aging foods to help us live longer, healthier lives (page 40). It’s all about healthy vibrant aging. As Abraham Lincoln said, “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s life in your years.”