A-Age :
When I was a kid or even a young man, the age 65 seemed like a faraway realm inhabited by grumpy coots, smug wealthy retirees, or grandpas. The age of 65 seemed like a place so distant that I never much thought of being that old. And yet here I am. I'm 65 this year.
Lately I've been thinking more about the implications of being 65. I'm eligible for Medicare though I didn't sign up yet since I'm on my wife's healthcare plan. I don't think of myself as grumpy or smug, and I'm certainly not wealthy. But I am a grandpa with 5 grandkids now. My wife will likely retire in two or three years and we'll have to come to a decision about what we'll do after that time.
My mother was 85 when she died so I still have twenty years if I get that far. My dad passed at only 67--this has become a sort of milestone that I feel I must cross over to have hopes of living as long as my maternal grandfather who passed at age 75. We don't know when our time will come so I guess I can speculate about things like that and hope for the best.
There's that saying about being only as old as you feel, but a lot of that depends on whether we're talking mind or body. Most of the time I feel pretty good on both accounts and don't think much about my age. Then there is that constant reminder that hangs over me--I'm 65 and not much I can do about it except enjoy life as best I can and expect that I'm going to live forever. No point in giving up yet is how I see it.
Do you worry about getting older? Are there things you wish you had done in your life that you didn't do? What do you plan on doing to make the best of your elderly years if you make it that far?
