Silver back

I have reached the age of my majority and that comes with bonuses as well as eye opening consequences.

Retirement and more free time mixes in with aches and pains that can infringe on that time in significant ways.

Wiser decisions combine with fewer choices if I want to stay healthy.

And then there are the undeniable signs of age as friends become the silver backs of our species.

All of these things are note worthy, but not necessarily handicapping. It mostly depends on my ability to be flexible and willing to make changes in order to maintain my quality of life.

The shocks come when a friend I looked to for help and guidance; one who appeared to be the epitome of good health and joie de vivre has a massive heart attack and dies within days.  Someone who ate conscientiously correctly, was very active, and had no real bad habits.

It is proof that we all have a shelf life that cannot be cheated eternally, but we can go while living every second right up until the end.