I recall, back in 1954, watching a man collecting his retirement present and listening to the praise of his boss. “Poor old man,” I thought, “how can he bear to be that old.” He was 65 and I was 18 at the time.

Later I heard a comment by Lawrence Durrell, who said, “Thirty-four is the last year of youth.” Why Durrell came up with 34 I have no idea or even whether he was serious when he said it. Whatever he intended that 34 entered into our family as the last year of youth. And time, whether in space or on earth, continues to intrigue me.

Anyway, this morning I woke up thinking not about 34, that arbitrary date which had seemed so far in the future, but 41. This is not my birthday, but that of my daughter. And, of course, puts the ideas from my youth, when we really do not expect to grow old, into a fresh context. Is it really 41 years since she was born? And what does it mean or matter anyway? Today, the cult of youth and the obsession with looks, fame and wealth seem crass.

I read a survey where almost half the pupils in one school, when asked what they wanted to be when they left, answered, “I want to be famous.” They often added that they wanted to be on Big Brother or appear on television. No mention of effort, working to achieve an ambition or what they imagined appearing on television would offer them. Fame, as many have discovered, can become more a burden than a pleasure.

What is not considered either is the phenomenon of the Trust Fund Rats. Researchers discovered that rats who were given food without effort soon became lethargic, fat and unable to find their way out of a maze. Nor could these trust fund rats use the experience they needed, because they had no experience, to solve problems essential to their survival.

The trust fund rats mirror the experience of people where the idle, the beneficiaries of Trust Funds and money for no effort, are not happy. They descend into depression, or at least misery, because they fail to use the large section of their brain which evolved to use their hands and expend meaningful effort.

One consequence is the taking of drugs and heavy drinking of alcohol in an attempt to ward of boredom and a sense of a meaningless life. Despite the unearned money, they are not happy. Another consequence is “comfort eating” and the heart disease, diabetes and so much else which may afflict those who become obese.

Well Roz, you are definitely not a Trust Fund Rat, and hard work, caring for animals, the environment and people, is second nature to you. Happy Birthday.