"Middle age is the time when a man is always thinking that in a week or two he will feel as good as ever"

With each passing year, the body’s abilities subtly change, often escaping notice until the vigor of youth fades into memory. During middle age, there is a persistent hope, even an expectation, that temporary fatigue or discomfort is just that, temporary. A man finds himself negotiating with his body and mind, promising patience through a bout of tiredness, telling himself that he’ll return to his peak form soon, maybe after a short rest, a vacation, or a new exercise routine. There's always a point on the near horizon when life will feel as it used to.

This expectation is tender, almost wistful, revealing the psychological adaptation to aging. Rather than accepting the reality of permanent change, there’s a postponement of reckoning, a gentle denial. By assuring himself that wellness is just around the corner, the middle-aged man maintains hope and shields himself from the discomforting realization that some forms of vitality may not return. The phrase captures not only an individual’s determination to remain optimistic but also the universal reluctance to let go of the self-image forged in one’s best years. It is an act of self-preservation, a refusal to grieve prematurely for youth.

Simultaneously, the statement carries an undertone of humor. There is recognition that this cycle of assurance and expectation repeats endlessly, almost comically, as one week passes into the next. Promises to oneself stack up, always just out of reach. This self-deception is gentle rather than harsh, a comfort that cushions the transition into later stages of life. Don Marquis invites us to smile at our collective tendency to believe, against accumulating evidence, that we are only a short while away from feeling as young, strong, and unburdened as we once did, a subtle commentary on the resilience and optimism intertwined in the human spirit.