I was young once. I feast of the vivid memories of those days. Full of hope, every dream unfulfilled, the ribald, careless, irresponsible times. Oh my word, they were fun. So many stories I love to recall and can tell no one about. I thought those days would never end my friend.

I was middle aged once. Full of hope, many dreams unfulfilled, ribald, careless times. Responsible times, husband, father, son, career, family and tired. That’s what I still remember. I was tired for a decade as we raised our children and built our lives, giving every earned penny and every available minute away. Good times, so many stories I love to recall.

And now I’m old. And that’s a good thing. I get to be old when many of my friends did not. They don’t get to say ‘I was old once.’ and I do. And being old is very different. Most of your dreams are fulfilled or forgotten or replaced with dreams about others, your children and grandchildren mostly. There is a risk of living scared, of wondering what it is that is lurking just around the corner, ready to pounce. And for good reason, I mean everything stops working properly! No need for a list, trust me you’ll have your own but the trick is not to get distracted by it all. You know you’re going at some point and quite frankly if ‘you were young once’ it could be anytime now. Nothing sharpens your appreciation of today more than your awareness that it could be your last. So I’m working on this idea.

Live with a young mind. Be childish if you can. If you happen to have grandchildren, they are perfect cover for any amount of silliness. Laugh at yourself. Getting up to pee five times during the night doesn’t have to be all that serious. Well, yes it can, if you let it but it can also be a punchline.

“I called the Urinary Advice line”

They said, “Can you hold.”

You can search through your photos for that image you took of a heron waiting so patiently in a pond, keeping so still and get irritated at how long it is taking you. Or you can laugh at yourself when you see that for the ironic moment it is.

You can choose to be amused about just about everything. It makes a difference. It won’t shorten or lengthen your life but it will change how you live it.

And if you did get to ‘be old once’. Buy a lottery ticket. Not everyone does.