Thanks kindly for the shout-out, Brittany. I might suggest an addendum for this point: we revert to old behaviors many times because the new ones make us uncomfortable. The bigger the shift, the greater the discomfort. By definition however, if I am uncomfortable, I am growing. I may not care for it much, but the fact of that growth keeps something in me juicy and alive.

In a recent interview with a superbly lively and high-achieving 67 year old pilot and scuba diver, she said that every year she takes on something brand new. Piano lessons, a new sport, a new certification. I do too. That is a guarantee of keeping things lively. There is plenty of new brain research that argues that when we do things like this, we stay youthful. We wrinkle but what’s inside keeps its twinkle.

This is one reason I change up my exercise schedule, routine, time limits and all the other demands on myself to ensure that I don’t get bored, ,my body doesn’t slip into mediocrity, and I continue to enjoy the activity. That said, my best time is very early morning. All I do is move the deck chairs around. The Titantic will eventually go down, of course, but in the meantime we are still having one hell of a party on board!