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Do you ever think about it? My dad lived a few days short of 86 years. I turned 60, last fall. So I'm thinking if I got his genes, possibly another 26. He treated himself better than I have, myself. So, maybe not that long. Not obsessed with it, just wondering if other folks wonder, too. Just wondering what some of the regulars here think.

It's incredibly freeing.

Turning 50 was what finally brought home the reality of my own mortality - we all actually do grow old and we all will die, every single one of us. Took about 7 years to get over that and the journey was not pleasant but coming out of the other side, life is better than ever.

The lesson of death is that every day is precious. Live in every moment, not yesterday and not tomorrow, but now. You hear that when you're young but it doesn't mean anything, death is an abstraction, not a reality.

When it becomes an impending reality most folks do one of two things - fight it and hate it and be miserable the rest of their short little lives or embrace it, love it and live like you never lived before. Not like go crazy and buy a red sports car and get a 23 year old girlfriend (although there's not a thing wrong with that ), but savor everything - the drive to work, a cup of coffee, new buds on the trees - everything.

The choice is up to you.

Amen Jim !

Once I lost both parents in 2006 and 2007 the thought of my mortality is an everyday thought for me. Wish it wasn't but it is...56 now and plan on hanging around as long as I can.

Need photos of the 23 year old. Car too while you're at it.

Jim you nailed it. most people think about living long, and then forget about living.

Had the 23 year old girlfriend when I turned 51. It was mighty fun but I have to admit that staying "up" until 2:00 AM was kind of exhausting.

Instead of a sports car I got this a couple of months ago:





Wheeeee!!!!!

Well said.

For a while it bugged the heck out of me. Did I do enough? Did I care enough? But lately, I enjoy what you say in your last paragraph. There isn't time enough to be miserable. Every day is truly a gift. And you're right. You can't understand that when you are young. And I guess, you shouldn't.
No 23 year olds in mind for this old, pudgy bastid. Very happy with my Bride of 40 years.

great grandmother was 114 when she passed in 1977.

dad went at 73 ,his family from 50 -80

mom at 3 months short of 100 her family 80-100

so where does that put me , 68 in 3 days, feel like I can do another 25-30 , i'll see what the Lord says.

norm

p/s I have worn out 5 gardian Angles ya think there might be 4 more

I used to delude myself, thinking I had the best of both parents strong qualities.
I know better now.
I thank the Good Lord for modern medicine.

Like you, I'm hoping I inherited my own Dads' genes. He's nearly 74 and I just had a phone conversation with him this evening where he mentioned going through a lot of firewood this year and was going to drop a few trees on his place and also split some big oak butts he hadn't gotten around to yet because they were too big to fit on his hydraulic splitter, so he's planning to hand split them into smaller, more manageable chunks.

The man doesn't have a furnace in his house, is in his 70's and doesn't bat an eye about cutting wood every year to heat it.

Oh, I love hearing that. He sounds like a tough bird. God Bless him.

Excellent choice !

I pray to do many things at the age I am, and that I wil be able to see my kids and family saved.

. Amen and well said I echo your statement

Biggest thing about aging has been the shock when I look in the mirror. I was one of those people who always looked younger than their age, now the pretty young things at the haircutting place all give me the senior discount, nine years ahead of my time

Don't anyone take this out of context but the last high school girl to have a serious crush on me was about six years ago when I was fifty. Pretty flattering to one's ego to have a pretty seventeen year old going out of her way to spend time in your presence. Surprising because that one was secure and well-raised with two parents, usually its the ones without fathers that get crushes on old guys.

She came to see me after school last year while home from college, showed up in full flirt mode yet. That lasted about thirty seconds, I could see in her eyes "My God! What was I thinking?".

<"sigh">

Being a natural pessimist I've sorta gone through life expecting to die anyway and the only real difference inside my own head recently has been the concept of doing things now "while I still can". Me and a dog we bought when I was 55 have about the same life expectancy, that got my attention. Down to a dog's span of years the question becomes "what do I do with it?" or "how can I do the most good with the time I have left?".

That and, not including wisdom teeth (all gone)I've lost two teeth now, right next to each other on one side. We outlive our teeth and our knees. My knees are still mostly functional at this writing, but recalling the long, slow decline of my teeth over the years I'm wondering how long I'll get to keep those I have left. The thought of dentures ain't appealing and the alternative is expensive. A necessary expense I suppose.

Birdwatcher

Mom is 96 and still going strong. Dad came from a family of 8 kids. All but one topped 85 and Dad died at 92. So, we have some old genes on both sides. However, my brother died of a stroke at 65 so there's no guarantee.

Mike, You've lost two teeth and are already talking about dentures? Man alive! I only have about 8-9 teeth on the bottom and almost all on the top and I've never considered dentures. Grits don't take much chewin'.