Am I really old?

Old men like to give good precepts to console themselves for being no longer able to give bad examples (La Rochefoucauld).

Does this quote really apply to me?

It is true that I tend to relate my experiences, the result of a long working life, with its good and bad times. I feel like I have learned lessons that I like to give to others. But I have always done so and I even made it by profession. This is certainly not a feature of my great age.

My problem now, especially since some time, is that body and mind do not evolve at the same speed.

The mind is still as strong as before and it does not feel old. The short-term memory works more slowly, but I need only to note on my calendar what I might forget and to have these notes handy to avoid surprises. In exchange, the long-term memory has become much more efficient and I find easily memories of my youth, enjoying the pleasure of these rediscoveries.

With my body, this is another problem. Since a few months, I run slower, I tend to reduce the length of my walks, my own rhythm slows down and I have more and more difficult to catch my breath. At the pool, I prefer to float rather than to swim front crawl.

I am advised that wisdom consists in accepting to get “old”. Of course, I am wise, I accept the new limits my body imposes on me; but I do not accept to become "old." For me, this word evokes a physical and mental decline. It’s why I prefer the term "aged".

When time passes and the years are added to the years , some simply become "aged", while others become "old".

Being "aged" is different from being "old."

While the "aged" practice sports, discovery, travel, the old man rest.

While the "aged" has love to give, the old man accumulates jealousy and resentment.

While the "aged" make plans for his future, the old man has the nostalgia of the past.

While the agenda for the "aged" consists mainly of tomorrow, the timing of the old contains only "yesterday".

While the "aged" enjoy the coming days, the old suffers from the few days he has left.

While the "aged" in his sleep makes dreams, the old has nightmares.

There is no question for me to be "old", as I have so many dreams, so many things to do.