When I was a kid, old was anyone over 40. We called our fathers, “my old man,” and they would sometimes say, “the old lady” is not happy today when talking about their wives. My father was very “old” when he died at age 52 in 1970. My mother made it to 75, but she lived for 30 years like an old lady after my father had passed.

I read the other day that the medium age of Americans has increased to age 38 and life expectancy now averages 76, the oldest it’s ever been on record. An aging population brings with it a plethora of problems. Heath care for seniors has risen exponentially in cost. Those in their 80s and 90s often need 24-hour assistance because of their diminishing independence. It’s cruel to see once vibrant and mobile people lose their physical functions and mental capabilities.

The hard truth is that Americans frown upon getting old. We try our best to look years younger than we are. No one wants to be mistaken for 70 years old when they’re not yet 65. Famous actor and director Woody Allen said that he wants to go in reverse if he gets a second life.

“In my next life I want to live my life backward. You start out dead and get that out of the way. Then you wake up in an old people’s home feeling better every day. You get kicked out for being too healthy, go collect your pension, and then when you start work, you get a gold watch and a party on your first day. You work for 40 years until you’re young enough to enjoy your retirement. You party, drink alcohol, and are generally promiscuous, then you are ready for high school. You then go to primary school, you become a kid, you play. You have no responsibilities, you become a baby until you are born. And then you spend your last 9 months floating in luxurious spa-like conditions with central heating and room service on tap with larger quarters every day.”

I would think every senior citizen would sign up for Allen’s second life journey and yet we know that in reality, we are what we are when we get older and the clock continues to tick minutes toward the end and further and further away from the beginning. American publicist, Lena Moses-Schmidt said, “Lately I’m too tired to care ... the longer I live the more the future disappears.”

Grandpas and grandmas are at the top of the aging ladder that get love and respect from their grandchildren, but outside the family, older people are not valued in America like they are in Asian countries. Our wisdom and experience get erased from the blackboard of life. Retired teachers with histories of inspiring their students are not gathered together to create educational missions. Older men and women are “too old” to coach our youth and school sports, although there are a few still around who take from their years of experience to build successful athletic programs.

I have found that keeping a sense of humor in my twilight years is a top priority. Actor George Burns, who lived to be 100, said, “You know you’re getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else can you do while you’re down there.” Author, Stewart Stafford said, “You know you’re getting old when the heat blast from your birthday cake candles feels hotter than the surface of the sun.”

Author Dan Pierce said, “My current age is, ‘If I don’t write it down in three seconds, I’ll forget it.’”

American playwright, George Bernard Shaw said, “You don’t stop laughing when you grow old. You grow old when you stop laughing.”

A white-haired woman once told me she got into the passenger’s seat of what she thought was her car in a grocery store parking lot and looked over at a white-haired man whom she thought was her husband and they both said at once, “Who are you?” Did they both laugh? Yes.

Aging teaches us a whole new set of valuable lessons. Live the moment; that’s all we have. Appreciate another brand-new morning. Care not that a few spoons in the silverware drawer are mixed in with the forks. Hugs feel much better now. Laughing at our own stupidity is comforting. Talking out loud to ourselves is as good as having someone else is in the house when we’re alone. The things we once regretted we now realize have helped shape who we are. We value love and companionship above money and materialism. We trust our intuition more than the logical thing to do.

We remember the words to songs from 50 years ago, but don’t ask us what we had for dinner last Saturday. We delight in observing little children that we might have ignored when we were younger. Sipping a glass of wine at sunset is as good as it gets. Our children who have grown to become adults are still our babies. Thinking about death gives us an urgency to live life. A scrapbook filled with family photos holds more sweet memories than same ones stored in the computer. Reading a book and a newspaper is better than watching TV. Going to class reunions is a pleasant time travel into the past. Going to more funerals than weddings is a reminder that still being alive is a privilege.

Commentator Andy Rooney said, ‘Everyone wants to live a long life, but no one wants to get old.” Old in the body is one thing. Young in the mind is another. Whether I live to 76 or 106, I’m going to die young and then put my death in reverse and take Woody Allen’s plan and travel back to the womb.

Rich Strack can be reached at richiesadie11@gmail.com