I have been thinking about the process of growing older for a long
time. In my 30s, I discovered I had all sorts of stereotypes about old
people (which for me at that age was anyone over 60) and that most of
my notions were just plain wrong. For example, I learned though
conversations with a number of older friends that most people aren’t
afraid to die after a certain point—but they are afraid to die without having left a mark or without having been able to