Many of us wander into our senior years with trepidation and concern about aging. We are bombarded by the media with information about what and when to eat, how to exercise carefully, when to rise and go to sleep, and most of all, about ways to keep our brains sharp. It all sounds so serious! And we may worry about how to get it right, in order to live as long as possible.

When we were children, play was carefree and we entered into it with excitement and energy. That was how we learned to engage with others. Then we later arrived at the serious stages in life where doing, achieving, and mastering were the name of the game. We spent decades competing, worrying, and trying to do our best for family, workplace, society, and the world—which required all of our drive and attention. The dynamic of striving was over-learned, because it was rewarded—and even if it wasn’t!

It's hard to shed that mind-set when the hectic work years and a demanding family life settles down a bit. The serious business of maximizing one’s life and potential is a hard cloak to shed. We often hold on to it long after it has outlived its usefulness because it so central to life in first world countries. But you can ease away from it a little if you try.

Because of demanding pressures along the road in our middle years, curiosity and pleasure were not likely to have been on the front burner until now. Too much striving, getting and staying ahead, were the drivers. These don’t back down easily without conscious effort.

In our senior years, if we are lucky,........

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