I don't mind aging ...

but I don't want to get old.

There is a huge difference.

My parents have aged.  They are 65 and 67.  But they act like they are in their 30's.  They are both in phenomenal shape (my dad still runs about 5 marathons a year).  They are active.  They try new things.  The can play.  When they come to visit us, they play with the boys ... baseball to board games.

My in-laws are old.  They are 72 and 75.  But they act like they are in their 90's.  They are overweight. They suffer from knee and hip problems.  They are inactive.  When they were here to visit, they stayed in the basement, complained that I didn't give them clean towels every day and watched t.v.

Maybe there is a huge difference between 67 and 72 that I will understand better when my dad gets older.  I think the more likely scenario is that, while my dad will slow down, he will never stop.

I also think that years of being overweight and not caring have negatively impacted my in-laws.  I know the knees problems and the high-blood pressure are directly related to the weight.  It is cyclical ... weight leads to bad joints, bad joints means you can't exercise as much which leads to more weight.  But they could do water exercise in the natatorium down the street.  I just think they stopped caring somewhere along the way...

Is age a state of mind?

Gotta run .. I'm off to the gym!