"The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away."
Psalm 90:10

Since turning 70 I have been reading quite a few essays about that milestone. I pretty much passed by all the cheery '70 is the new 50' kind of stuff and went right for the more reflective and philosophical reads. I am through now and this will be my last writing on the subject until I turn 80.

The reason 70 is such a big one is because it is the start of your last really fully viable decade for the vast majority of people. From 80 on the road gets exponentially tougher, and that is if you are lucky enough to make it that far. Trust me, I worked in geriatrics and had a front row seat. There will always be a few outliers like Betty White, but they are statistically far and few between, plus they have the money for the very best of care as a rule.

I do miss the physicality of youth. The creakiness of old age sneaks up upon you slowly. I often wonder what it would be like to suddenly feel 18 again instantly. I bet it would be like the best drug rush of all time. I can't complain though, as my aches and pains are relatively few, and my general health has been excellent overall, better than I deserve. I attribute much of that to staying as far away from doctors and industrial medicine as possible. It is amazing what the body can heal itself of if given time to rebalance after trauma or illness. It is an expert. If things ever get too bad, I always have my Savage Stevens 320 Longterm Healthcare Policy in place.

Now there are quite a few positives too. One is the death of ego. I don't care about what others think anymore. I literally create just for myself and the feeling the process gives me. That is very freeing. My fear of death lessens with each year also. Death will either be nothing or something. I am good with that. I don't go for heaven or hell. I have a suspicion we invented those concepts to help deal with existential angst. No one knows, and it looks like Near Death Experiences are pretty sweet overall, even if it is only the brain being washed over with endorphins at the very end.

I now try and look at each day forward as a separate life. I am not big on nostalgia, but I can look back with pleasure and know I lived a full life with no regrets. It all came out in the wash at the end. I have finally evolved into the kindly old man stumbling around the neighborhood with a pocket full of dog treats and all the kids know my name. It is a good place to be as our society slips into anomie on its way to an Idiocracy.... 

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13Allyn Smith, Christopher Anderson and 11 others