Not so long the thought of aging was a frightening reality I preferred not to face, but as time had passed so have the fears. To me becoming old meant that my physical activities would be curtailed, my memory would start to fade and I would become thin and frail and relatively useless to myself and everyone else also. At the age of 53 I still find that I am still very young at heart and physically not that out of shape to begin with.

Although to some extent the old phrase "you are as young as you feel" is true, it is more so psychologically than physically because sometimes your body will not respond so quickly as when you are younger or at least that is the way it appears to me. Sometimes when I awake in the morning I re-discover muscles I knew I never had and just the soreness is enough to make me not want to get out of bed. Having been somewhat of an athlete in my youth I find this a bit embarassing to admit and sort of makes me "washed up" as one.

It is really strange to think that whenever I play a "pick-up" game of basketball or baseball I still think that I am able to do all the things I use to do, until the following morning arrives with every muscle in my body screaming for relief of any kind. Sometimes I ache so much even my hair "hurts". I don't know if I am going to grow old "gracefully" but one thing I know for sure it will not be graciously. I intend to go "fighting, kicking and screaming" all the way to the grave so what's a little pain among friends right!

For an old guy like me fantasy is thought of much easier now than when I was younger. You see, back then what I did on the court or the diamond was like sort of living out my fantasy now and as much as I may feel bitter at getting old sometimes well that is I guess what they call life and that I can deal and live with!

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