I am 67 years old and the past year and a half I have really been feeling the effects of aging. I am experiencing a lot more aches and pains, lower/shorter levels of energy, reduced mental acuity and really bad memory. I am not complaining, as it is the cost of being fortunate enough to live this long. I still feel I am in better health and conditioning than most people about this age. My Mom passed this past August at the age of 90, she had been in relatively good health until she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in November of 2018. She, for years, said that getting old is not for the weak.

I have come up with a new man mantra for myself, which I repeat often on a daily basis: "If I want to keep actively living my life, getting old is hard. If I just want to get old, that is easy." That seems to really help me accept the aging process and keep motivated to stay active, and reduce the mental stress of the aches and pains. Now, if I can just keep remembering that.

Bicycles have been a long term, important part of my life and health. People often ask me me, How long do you think you can keep doing it? My stock answer: "If I make it into my 80's, I hope to still be pedaling."