On Age

Introduction

I have never "acted my age", fitted "in the box", or done what is expected. In the Bob Dylan song "Joey" from the album "Desire" there are two lines that perfectly sum me up:

"Always On The Outside

Of Whatever Side There Was"

That is not a bad thing, but just means that I can take a different view on things and help others improve their views. We cannot stop our bodies from getting older but we can do a lot to keep our minds very active.

I wrote a piece on this subject here:

So What Do I Think And Do?

"Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been"

I don't know if they were Bowie's own words or if he borrowed them from someone else but they are true for all of us. I often think "What if" I had taken a different decision or path, would my life have been better, and then, despite all the pain and bad times that I have been through I think that if I have made a different choice then I would have lost so much of what I have now.

I would like to be able to do what I want when I want, but I know that I have better options to do that than many people that I know, and I know my experiences have given me these abilities.

I always say I have a mental age of between 15 and 18 in a physical body that is, at this moment, 65 years old and getting older. I don't feel that I am getting older and love the phrase "I find it really odd that I am the same age as old people" and I do think that you need to keep active, physically and mentally as much as possible. Sometimes horrors such as strokes, cancers and accidents can hit and they are horrible to deal with, but if you keep yourself in good condition when you have the opportunity then you put yourself in a good position to fight these things.

That was the situation when I was diagnosed with Liver Cancer, you can read more about that here:

So almost every day I walk at least seven thousand steps and that keeps me in reasonable shape. After I have published this I will take a walk into town and maybe grab a coffee from Northern Slice as I will be passing them.

I walk on different routes in the hope of seeing new things and I often take pictures of cats because they sometimes like to pose for me. Then I share pictures on social media and sometimes even write about them like here.

The thing is we need to keep moving in one way or another, with our bodies and our minds. Although it is nice when we get things on a plate it is always good to at least make a start for yourself.

I know that I am in a good place and that means I can be there for others and help them out with a word or two of encouragement and advice, to believe in them and show them that they can believe in themselves.

All this is part of my own life's very rich tapestry.

I am still here because of the National Health Service, the love and support of my family and friends, and because I do take a little care of myself, eat the right things, take exercise in the form of walks, and when I put my mind to it, reading and writing.

I honestly believe that if you look after yourself both physically and mentally then your life will be a very good one.