60 is old.

I turned 60 last week and I am still trying to process it.  The average life expectancy in 2019 was 78.8 years.  Hmm.  Suddenly that doesn't seem so far away.

As if that isn't discouraging enough, the average age of Americans in 2020 is 45.  The median age is 40.  And the mode is 30. 

So clearly 60 is old, but am I?  Cue the denial.  That's what people do when they hold two conflicting points of view which they need to reconcile.  To eliminate their discomfort they discount one point or the other.

Option one is of course to accept the truth that 60 is old and so am I. 

Option two however is to deny that 60 is old since I can't possibly be old.  That's why people run around saying silly things like "60 is the new 50."  What does that even mean? 

The truth hurts.  Literally.  I used to swim two hours a day, five days a week.  Now I can only manage 45 minutes twice a week -  if I use my foam roller faithfully at night.  So I find myself thinking "If you think 60 isn't old, you must not be very active." 

Which brings me back to where I started.  60 is old.  And if you aren't thinking about your legacy instead of spouting silly denials then you need to get real.   

How do you want to be remembered?