I know I’ve written about old age and mortality any number of times before, but I just can’t keep myself from visiting those topics once again. When you’re old as dirt, like me, it’s hard not to contemplate, at least now and then, how much time you’ve got left. I’m 77, for crying out loud, which stuns me. How can this be? Where the hell did the years go? As with most matters, I have no f*cking idea. One thing for sure is that the express train keeps barreling along. We’re here, and then — poof! — we’re gone. That’s life. If it were up to me, though, each individual creature, human and not, would carry on, and thrive, unto eternity. Yeah, sometimes I’m a hopeless dreamer.
My status as an ancient has been made crystal clear to me by information I’ve obtained from the website of The French Institute For Demographic Studies. One of its online calculators shows that I am older than 97% of the human beings on our planet, an extremely sobering statistic. Most truths don’t hurt, but this one does. And I’m having a heck of a hard time wrapping my head around it. (If you’d like to see where you fit on the global population scale, click here to open the website. Once there, click on Let’s go and, on the subsequent page, enter your age on the horizontal bar.)
Still, naively, and probably out of fear, I find myself not quite believing that I have an expiration date. It almost doesn’t seem possible to me that I do. I mean, I’m still nicely functional, still pretty much an ace at stumbling gracefully through life. Why should all of this come to an end? I sure would like to make it into my 90s, though. I’ll have been cheated, I feel, by anything less than that. But any way you look at it, time is running out. There are far, far more grains of sand at the bottom of my hourglass than at the top.
So, what’s to be done? Well, we all know the answers. To the best of our abilities, everybody — not just me and my fellow oldsters — should aim to do the right things. Such as: maintaining, and trying to expand, close relationships; pursuing activities that put smiles on our faces; and working hard to make society and the natural environment healthier. Anyone who does a good bit or more of all that is a valuable member of the human race.
Music has been my main interest for most of my life. I can barely carry a tune, and I’d be up shit’s creek if I attempted to plunk out Chopsticks on the piano. But I’m an expert when it comes to listening to music. And I pay a lot of attention to what musicians have to say. A recent article in The Guardian caught my attention and got me feeling better about being a geezer. The story takes a look at up-there-in-age musicians who have lost little, if any, of their life force. For instance, Bonnie Raitt, who is two years my junior, remarks, “I’m not slowing down and I’m not going to stop until I can’t do it any more.” And Graham Nash, six years my senior, has these thoughts about seeing the late master guitarist Andrés Segovia when Segovia was 92: “And he knocked me on my ass with the energy and brilliance of his performance. So I think: ‘Why not me?’”
I like the way Raitt and Nash look at things.
I’ll bring this opus to a proper conclusion by leaving you with a tune composed by Bob Dylan, who, at 83, remains a very active musician. The song in question, Forever Young, appears on his album Planet Waves, which came out in 1974. Dylan recorded the album in collaboration with his pals from The Band (Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson, Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm).
While working on this story I listened to Forever Young for the first time in eons. Man, I think I’d never realized how direct and heartfelt the song is. It addresses some of the themes I’ve presented herein, but with a different slant, for Dylan had one of his youngsters in mind when he wrote the lyrics. The song’s sentiments, though, apply to folks of any age. Hope you enjoy it.
Yeah, Another Blogger 
Compliments for reaching 77. You can still read Tintin this year. (The journal for young people 7 to 77).
Music is always good. Here’s another you might like:
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bryan’s got the right attitude!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha! (I’m right behind you…)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Neil – Last month, my parents mentioned going to see Judy Collins perform, she’s 85 and they said she still has a lovely voice and a great sense of humor, too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
She has had a remarkable career. It’s great that she’s still going strong.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Some good advice here for living long and enjoying it! As I’ve slowed down and had to give up a lot of physical activities, I’ve found writing and singing in a barbershop chorus to be renewing!
Glad I’m not alone…..even in the 97th percentile!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Being above ground beats the alternative, for sure.
LikeLike
🙏
LikeLiked by 1 person
Another terrific post! I admire the strivers of any age, particularly those who strive to make the world a better place for their having been in it. Your music tribute reminded me of Sir Paul’s set on SNL’s 50th. Such a joy to watch!! Keep rocking, Paul. Keep writing, Neil!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi, and thanks for the thumbs-up. I appreciate it. Speaking of The Beatles: Ringo came out with a country album a month or two ago, and it’s the biggest-selling album he has had in a long time. Both he and Paul are busy, active musicians, for certain. They were born to rock.
LikeLike
One advantage to writing is that you can keep doing it forever!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi there. Writing definitely keeps the brain cells active. Which means it’s a healthy activity!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your life force is strong, old timer. I look forward to reading your posts for many years yet – if I’m spared, as my father used to say wryly. And thanks for the chance to play that Dylan track. As I get older, I find myself increasingly drawn to the songs he composed around my age, in his sixties, rather than the ones he composed IN the Sixties.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Afternoon! I hope he will release an album in the near future. It’s been five years since his most recent album of new songs. In any case, he continues to tour like crazy. He has loads of energy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hear 77 is the new 60😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thumbs up to that!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well I certainly hope you live well into your 90’s!
LikeLiked by 1 person
👍👍
LikeLike
Perfectly expressed! And what a great note to end on. Dylan seems such an unlikely vocalist and yet…I sit here with tears welling.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Judy. Yeah, it’s a very touching song.
LikeLike
I totally get where you are coming from as I am the same age as you. The fact I am this old still amazes me. I watch many of the musicians I loved when young pass from this world before me, and I scratch my head wondering how the last ten or so years went by at the speed of light. But, treating people well, giving a hand or ear to those in need, and keeping the mind active is what I aim to do for the next however many years I’ve got. And of course, keep listening to good music.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi, and many thanks for adding your thoughts on the subject. I hope we both will be rocking well into our 90s.
LikeLike
Thank you for the French Institute calculator. Jaw-dropping perspective in the numbers, but at least the “North America” segment is more favorable than others.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s an amazing website. And I think its data are quite accurate.
LikeLike
Thanks for spreading a little inspiration out my way with one of the best of the prolific Dylan songbook. I prefer to compare my age to my parents’ lifespan, rather than the rest of the world(!), knowing I am taking better care of myself than they did most of their life.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi there, Ruth. Dylan began his latest tour a week or two ago. I’ve read a couple of the reviews — the reviewers liked the performances a whole lot. I haven’t seen him in concert in 15 or 20 years. I’d like to see him again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi, Neil. I saw him long time ago with The Band. I haven’t been to live shows since COVID, avoiding the crowds and not excited about seeing some tiny person on the stage so far away!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love your list of to-do’s, Neil. And I would also like to say that death is a sham, a mere transition to another form from which we continue along, hoping to energize and enlighten the soul and make our collective consciousness better. You have been contributing to the collective consciousness in beautiful ways for a very long time now with your pragmatism, optimism, and light. There is no reason to think you won’t continue that work from the other side, whenever that time comes. I have complete faith in you. Also, my own personal belief, in addition to the ones above, that is, is that every death is really a suicide. I think Wayne Dyer may have said it first, but it makes complete sense to me. Happy Passover to you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Pam. Thanks for the kind words. Much appreciated!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🥰
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mortality simply sucks. Hope you will have many more happy and healthy years ahead of you.
LikeLike
“Mortality simply sucks” — This would be a great title for a book and/or a great saying on a bumper sticker. Hi, and thanks for giving me a laugh.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad I made you laugh. Humor really helps us to cope with life (and death).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Facing mortality is a tough one…easier some days than others. I’ve always loved this song, Neil!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi. In some ways, Dylan is a role model: He’s well into his 80s, and going strong.
LikeLiked by 1 person
He is awe-inspiring!
LikeLiked by 1 person
‘Always do the right thing!’ Seems to be a recipe for contentment. Love the song by Dylan too! Thanks for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hello there, and thanks for adding your thoughts. Yeah, Bob has written a load of terrific songs over the decades.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Long may you run fella or walk. It all works.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gracias.
LikeLiked by 1 person
PS You snuck this one by me or I was sleeping at the wheel.
LikeLiked by 1 person
In these times, I can’t tell you enough how wonderful it is to see someone regularly use the word fuck. I often get into discussions with my Mexican friends over Mexico’s use of chingar which is very similar to fuck. Octavio Paz wrote a book that had at its heart the meaning and cultural significance of chingar. I don’t think fuck is that monumental, yet it is a word close to our hearts. In the right context it can elevate the moment like no other word can. Chingar is like that. Words are odd things. It seems most of us can’t get enough of them. I guess they mean we are still kicking and I’ve found joy in telling some dick or Karen to fuck off. Makes me feel alive. The Paz book is Labyrinth of Solitude and when you think about someone using fuck, you might see them breaking outward from their own labyrinth of solitude, hey, you are going to have to fucking deal with me cause I’m not backing off. Thanks. Duke
LikeLiked by 1 person
Life is a wonder Neil. What a journey, eh? Sometimes bumpy and suspenseful, other times smooth. Thanks for sharing your points of view.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi there. Thanks for adding your thoughts. Appreciated!
LikeLike
Hey Neil, we too are getting up there. My husband is also 77 and I am 69. Lucky to have reached these ages I guess.
If you don’t hear much from me for the next month or so, it is because we are selling our house where we’ve lived for the past 40 years, and we are moving to an apartment. A huge change that we do not feel quite prepared for. Reading and blogging will take the back seat for the foreseeable…
LikeLiked by 3 people
Hi Lynne. A move like that is a pretty major situation. Good luck with the new abode!
LikeLike
Thanks Neil ❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person