There is a Chinese proverb:
"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now".

Perhaps one of the saddest things is if we talk to a person who is very old, and they speak of the dreams of youth, their life was stretching ahead of them then, just as was mine. And they mention how they failed to take the chances that might have changed their lives.
And the dreams carry on through life, as we know that they will one day become reality, provided they are reasonable.
As we get older, we get wiser, and then we realise that life is not infinite, it does not go on forever, and the point where we die will surely come.
We can then adjust so that if, as a child, we were afraid of death, then we no longer are.
Life, like the world oil supply, runs out.
With age, we slow down, and cannot do what we once accepted as normal. We hold onto handrails, for fear of falling, because we know our balance is no longer what it was, and our speed of recovery to an upright position is also slower. And bones if broken will take longer to repair.

The time will come for us all when we start the dying process that is part of life. It might be a quick few seconds as in an accident, or a stroke or heart attack. Or, if we are lucky, it will be a slower process where the body just gets too tired to continue, because there is no purpose in remaining.

So, I am happy to say that I take a different view. I have less time left, so there is less to lose if failure occurs. And I have the wisdom to some extent to choose my battles that might be important to me, and just fight any others for fun. So, at age 61, I have to decide, do I build a sailing boat, or come out of retirement to buy one? Or a bit of both?

Then I will probably be about 65 by the time I get a boat, and it will be time to choose a crew. But, how many 20 year old hotties that wear tight clothing know how to sail, that is the question.
And the other question, of course, is, will the wife read this, and once more slap my face!

you'll get a slap alright! miss u babe:)

Somehow i find this entry refreshing.

Hi John,
There is nothing wrong in your thoughts. Only the body shows aging! The mind never gets old. How many times you had dreams in which you were an old man? Mostly, you always remain the same person in your dreams.
I remember to have read the famous book "Nascent Death" by the celebrated and the most controversial Japanese writer Yasanari Kawabata, (probably a Nobel Laureate) in which he writes about hotties, and his fantasies about them. He wrote the book when he was almost in his death bed. He must have been over 80. He reportedly dictated the contents of the book which was written down by his secretary. He was unable to get up or even write.
I am sorry, if the Japanese name is spelt wrong here.
Thanks for your own reflections on age. I am also in the same boat, 57. I never feel about age unless I see other old men or my children.