Just Say No

Age never bothered me.  I had friends of all ages, and I honestly believed that age was just a number.  I believed that up until the time that number was 60.  SIXTY!  Turning 60 really freaked me out.  It made me realize that my time here is finite, and that in addition to limited time I now also had to factor health into my equation.  Although I'm in relatively good health (I'll probably always be trying to lose those last 15 pounds), I feel the stiffness and achiness creeping into my joints.  My knees ache if I walk too much, and I had to give up the idea of jogging several years ago.  On the other hand, if this is as bad as it gets, I'd be okay with that, but once you hit a certain age (which apparently for me is 60), the chances of 'medical events' seem to increase, and even worse, the healing process increases even more dramatically!

Yes, I know this is the pessimist in me talking, and that the perky, cheerful optimist would say that having yet another birthday beats the alternative.  To which the realist in me would respond "possibly".   Personally I'd rather die at the top of my game than live to be 100 while in a nursing home/with Alzheimer's/fighting through chemo/any number of other sad, scary scenarios.

And so, having just celebrated the 2nd anniversary of my 60th birthday (which at least qualifies me to be PAID for being old), I've decided to just stop celebrating birthdays.  Maybe there will come a time in my life where I revel in my advanced age, but not right now.  For now I'm just going to concentrate on staying healthy and fit, and trying to pack as much fun into each day as I can. Which is really a pretty optimistic outlook for someone like me.