Until I read further on in your story and learned that your mother was 75 when you wrote it and you were 55, I empathised with your age-related indignities--creaking joints, chin whiskers, the old lady face in the mirror etc--and guessed we were around the same age. Then I read the update and saw that you're now in your late 60's.

I am in the last year of my 70's, not exactly looking forward to the big 80, but what can you do? Ageing has its ups and downs, literally and figuratively, but a sense of humour, perspective, curiosity and, yes, even a spirit of adventure make a huge difference.