Approaching Seventy

Age is said to bring wisdom, prudence, and the comfort of experience, but to be honest, I'd trade every bit of that in a heartbeat to once again make idiotic mistakes and not give a damn. I don't think I'll ever lose my childlike appetite for novelty and adventure. I've got too many dreams on my bucket list yet to chase, and no time for being an old person. I came across these two quotes from unknown sources that confirm that I am not alone in the way I look at the subject of aging.

Nobody grows old living a number of years; people grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, doubt, distrust, fear, and despair... these are the long, long years that bow the head and turn the growing spirit back to dust. Whether seventy or sixteen, there is in every living being's heart the love of wonder, the sweet amazement of the stars and star-like things and thoughts, the undaunted challenge of events, the unfailing child-like appetite for what is next, and the joy and game of life.

Youth is not a time of life... it is a state of mind. It is not a matter of ripe cheeks, red lips, and supple knees... it is a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions... it is a freshness of the deep springs of life.