The world is falling apart, but we live in a blessed time when damaged body parts can be replaced, like brake pads on an old car. I once fell a full flight of stairs, ending with only a trace of scratches on my forehead, but then, I was only 68. If that ever happened to me now, I might not have been able to write this. Some people fall, break a bone, and realize that risks can have consequences that can be avoided. Others fall and break the critical bones that can not easily be replaced. And still others fall and, sorry to be realistic, bleed to death.

My writing about age comes directly from my sense of time in aging and my book about time, but also indirectly from my 83 years of experiencing life with a sense of where it's heading. Missing friends and relatives who are no longer alive accelerates through every one of those flying years of aging. But aging can also be glorious if we wake each morning with a sense of connection to our loved ones, the food that has always been a gift of nature, and the sight of flowers blooming.

Aging brings along preventable health issues. Hearty physical activities, regular socializing,........

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