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THE MOMMY AND THE MUMMY
Clarification before introduction.
Some definitions might seem arbitrary
But as the list improves, definitions are replaced by medical suggestions.
As an example 45 once was:
Back in my days, is added in our everyday talk.
Now it is replaced by:
Age 45 — Colonoscopy needed. Official end of life.
Until recently the suggested age was 50.
It seems that although we doubled life expectancy, we go backwards in quality of life.
True success of the medical profession in prolonging life would be to change the limit of success from 26 (annus mirabilis) to over 30.
Introduction
I never met a human living happily and describing it as living happily.
This thought helps me realize that some people of 80 years old, saying I am happy and I'm enjoying my life, is wrong advertisement.
The Universal Journey of Age: A Life in Stages
Age minus 9 months. Momentum mirabile!!!
The "zinc shine" is a "zinc spark," a flash of light that occurs the moment a sperm fertilizes an egg. It is not visible to the naked eye but can be detected with special microscopes. This flash is caused by a surge of calcium inside the egg, which releases a large amount of zinc. The brightness and size of the spark indicate the health and viability of the egg.
How it happens
Sperm enters the egg: When a sperm successfully fertilizes an egg, it triggers a reaction inside the egg.
Calcium surge: The fertilization event causes a rapid increase in calcium levels within the egg cell.
Zinc release: The high calcium levels cause the egg to release a large burst of zinc atoms.
Light emission: This zinc is released into the surrounding fluid and binds to molecules that fluoresce, creating a "spark" or flash of light
Age 0 — Born with arteries already plotting their midlife rebellion. Healthy cartilage is bluish-white, pearly, and glistening.
Age 1 — Survives the perilous cradle years.
Age 3 — Learns the word “mine” and the world shifts forever. First suspicions of limitation dawn.
Age 5 — Experiences the first conscious, heart-wrenching loss—a pet, a grandparent—the universe acquires a permanent crack.
Age 6 — Childhood’s best years are sacrificed to the promise of ‘golden years’—grey hair and daily pills—no opting out. Welcome to school.
Age 7 — Innocence quietly packs its bags, futilely trying to bend reality’s rules.
Age 9 — First inklings of mortality; wonders if death has some supernatural extension.
Age 10 — Bedtime tyranny sparks the first rebellion.
Age 11 — Learns fairness is not a universal law, but karma is and it is instantaneous!!!
Age 12 — Hormones arrive uninvited, with indefinite residency.
Age 12½ Discovers parents are not omnipotent.
Age 13 — A trilogy of acne, angst, and awkward silences unfolds.
Age 14 — First annus mirabilis for girls. Nadia Comaneci…
Age 15 — Masters the eye-roll as both an art form and primary communication.
Age 16 — Believes they’ve invented suffering; parents temporarily become idiots. Death feels bidirectional; depression silently settles in.
Age 17 — Future anxiety manifests—a permanent, low-grade panic over college, independence.
Age 18 — University or work; caffeine becomes a core nutrient.
Age 19 — Savoring newfound independence with a cereal-for-dinner mantra.
Age 20 — Freedom’s first taste, celebrated with late nights and questionable decisions.
Age 20½ The first serious, non-romantic "friendship" collapses. Realization that some people just leave.
Age 21 — Legally adult; emotionally, “pending.”
REAL LIFE STARTS
Age 22 — Usain Bolt gave to this age, the world record of 100 m. 9.58.
Muhammad Ali won the world heavyweight championship, defeating Sonny Liston in a major upset on February 25, 1964, at age 22.
First annus mirabilis for men. Newton 1665 (age 22):
He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Shortly afterward, the university temporarily closed due to the plague epidemic ravaging England. This was the period when Newton returned to his home in Woolsthorpe, and, according to legend, the idea of gravity was born as he watched an apple fall. These two years (1665–1666) were later called by him the "anni mirabiles" (years of wonders), due to the remarkable discoveries he made. "Coincidence that universities closed and then humanity advanced thanks to Newton who went to his village?" "Forward on the path that Newton carved out, or rather that fate carved out for him.
The plague struck, the universities closed, and behold the law of gravity and other discoveries.
Since then, whoever wants to do something tremendous must abandon their studies. Perhaps the main reason is that in studies we learn what humanity already knows, and if we have a creative mind it goes to waste…"
Age 23 — Realizes “adulting” is 10% fun, 90% bills.
Age 24 — Life’s brochure begins to look misleading.
Age 25 — Brain’s operating system finally loads; chilling awareness that the end nears.
Age 25½ Begins buying "quality goods," believing they will last. Proven immediately wrong.
Age 26 — Parental texting breaches social media—a new horror. Albert Einstein was 26 years old, when he had his annus mirabilis which was 1905. Last annus mirabilis for men.
REAL LIFE ENDS
Age 26½ The cartilage begins to lose its luster and becomes more white and opaque. The bluish tint fades. We witness our real death, as everything declines and we can never return to any annus mirabilis…
Age 27 — The great wedding panic; peers “falling for it” inspires pity and envy.
Age 28 — The “28-Glide,” a calm before the storm of the 30s.
Age 29 — Last hurrah of uncomplicated ambition; winning feels past. HORROR FEELS AHEAD.
Age 30 — crying does not help.
Age 31 — Identity crisis, now professionally formatted with spreadsheets.
Age 33 — Older than most athletes; a low-grade, long-haul depression settles. Heroes leave here
Age 34 — Called “sir” or “ma’am” for the first time; spine protests.
Age 35 — Metabolism resigns, formally.
Age 36 — Memories, are really obituaries, from now on. Fertility starts eyeing exit signs.
Age 37 — First true back pain; universal language understood.
Age 38 — Involuntary sounds begin with every sit and stand.
Age 40 — First time someone says, “You look younger!”
Age 41 — Once the top of life expectancy according to nature.
Unnatural life starts, thanks to soap and antibiotics.
Age 43 — Horrified and proud to become their parents.
Age 44 — Reading glasses become necessary, yet unwelcome.
Age 45 — 45 is the year of colonoscopy.
It's the first act of preservation of a future corpse.
It's the analog of the procedure to create a mummy. Until then we have a mommy after 45 we become a living mummy.
Colonoscopy needed. Official end of life.
Until recently the suggested age was 50.
Age 45 is the ritual: the colonoscopy as embalming, the transition from myth to medical artifact.
It seems that although we doubled life expectancy, we go backwards in quality of life.
It seems we need a new profession in prolonging real life, aim would be to change the limit of success from 26 (annus mirabilis) to over 30. Or accept it as the end.
Age 46 — Finds solace in routine; adventure limited to TV.
Age 47 — Midlife crossroads: motorcycle or mindfulness? Often, just the couch.
Age 48 — Secret Googling: “How to parent adult children without crying.”
Age 50 — Yoga is tried again; pulls something new.
Age 51 — Now asks, “How old do I look?”
Age 53 — Joins the “sandwich generation,” caught between tuition and care homes.
Age 55 (Women) — Menopause: the great hormonal reshuffle.
Age 55 (Men) — The chair grunt becomes standard procedure.
Age 56 — Prescriptions gradually become collectibles.
Age 59 — Hair dye—cheapest illusion of youth.
Age 60 — This age must be ignored.
Age 61 — Senior discounts: insulting but irresistible.
Age 62 — The cartilage often takes on a dull, yellowish or brownish-yellow hue. It may also appear thinner and less resilient.
Age 63 — Stem cells take a sabbatical; hope clings to “getting well.” Reaching this age means you succeeded. People blaming you for whatever happens that you did a mistake, are mistaken themselves. From now on, it is the best time for a clean death. Whoever succeeds in that too, is chosen by the Gods!!!
Age 64 — Discovers the body has its own "bathroom schedule," independent of conscious will.
Age 65 — Driving license renewal demanded.
Society says golden years are here, but better check the relic...
Age 66 — Medicine and MD’s become a quicksand trap, of torture until death. Carries extra pills “just in case.”
Age 67 — Tourism makes us hungry children, watching other people eat.
Age 68 — Friends at reunions hunt familiar faces behind strange masks.
CRITICAL AGE
Age 69 — A Mistake Accepted Publicly After 6 Years, by Albert Einstein.
If you are still living, you probably did the mistake to ask help, ask or permit help is the same mistake Einstein did:
“Nissen recommended an exploratory surgery, a procedure that would allow a direct look inside the 69-year-old genius. What Nissen discovered was a large aortic aneurysm—a widened, weakened stretch of the body’s largest artery.” Some years later after the experience of prolonging his life, he refused another surgery saying clearly:
“I have done my share, it is time to go. I will do it elegantly. It is tasteless to prolong life artificially.”
Doctors performing major operations after 69, are not helping according to Hippocrates but playing God, according to Frankenstein. Death gets ugly. Doctors do not install something good, they patch old plumbings, creating something ugly and dangerous.
END GAME
Age 70 – Condolences might be in order. At this age and beyond, great care is required in making decisions about treatments. Quality of life and the patient's wishes must be the primary criteria for choosing care. I hope that after 70, no one will need to make such decisions.
You have officially joined the walking survivors — the respectable remains of who one once was .
The body still performs its duties, but the self has become an observer.
You move, you eat, you speak, yet every act feels like an echo of someone once alive.
It is worth noticing that even prisoners, when they reach 70, have better treatment, in appeals for early release, probably because they can not hurt anyone anymore…
Goodbye my friend it's hard to die but it's much harder to live on like this
Age 71 — Bell's curve brings special pants again. Staying home is a regular choice.
Age 72 — Please don't die! please don't die!
just sit here, shit your pants and sigh.
Age 73 — Perfects the meaningful, multi-layered sigh.
Age 74 — Realizes all ailments share one common denominator; therapy search becomes desperate.
Age 75 — Ezekiel Emanuel’s “statistical decline” threshold – based on healthspan curves and morbidity data.
Illnesses arrive like unwelcome, persistent guests.
Point of no return
Around age 75, in geriatric statistics, 50% of wounds are considered non-healing without specialized intervention (meaning they require continuous care, not expected healing).
GOLDEN YEARS ARE A BAD JOKE
Age 76 — Life’s final jokes reveal promises’ opposites. GL
Age 77 — Mind tries to manage body; comic failure ensues.
Age 78 — Memory becomes a beautiful, if frayed, patchwork quilt.
Age 80 — Do we need assistance?
After 80, almost all wounds require management rather than "waiting for healing.”
Age 89 — Woody Allen, at this age, said he was one of the lucky ones — he didn’t need a cane.
When the absence of a cane becomes luck, you have reached the purest form of realism.
Age 90 — Proud relic or well-dressed parlor ghost.
Age 91 — The Age of Irrelevance
It's irrelevant to forgive the irrelevant
It's irrelevant to forgive the noise
It's irrelevant to smile at the carnival
It's irrelevant to pretend this had meaning
It's irrelevant not to die…
Last thought.
If realism looks like pessimism, then things are much worse than we can guess.
Declaration.
My intention is to save souls from tοrture, especially mine.
The Grand Conclusion (The True Triumphs of Medicine)
Following this chronicle, based on statistics, which has conclusively demonstrated three key achievements:
That we have successfully doubled the average human lifespan;
That we have failed to add even a single day to the age of peak human athletic and intellectual performance; and
That we have filled nursing homes with abandoned souls, hospitals with the elderly in ICU beds, and living rooms with seniors staring blankly at us, lost to dementia—
...we can now confidently celebrate the field of medicine. This list has proven beyond a doubt that modern medicine trying to prolong life is, quite literally, something to celebrate at a carnival. What seems marvelous, about medicine, is the ability to repair the young, after unfortunate incidents. The majestic achievements of medicine, do not change the fact that after certain age the help is futile.
Skeptical? Cartilage shows the truth:
This breakdown is a masterclass in anatomical storytelling—precise, layered, and rich with metaphor. Let’s distill its essence and explore how it might serve your philosophical lens on aging, decline, and the betrayal of biological optimism.
?? Cartilage as a Timeline of Biological Truth
1. The Age of Frictionless Grace (Childhood–Late 20s).
- Metaphor: The illusion of immortality. Movement without consequence.
- Physiology: Water-rich, collagen-dense, cellularly active—like a utopia of repair.
- Color: Pearly white with a bluish tint—an anatomical Eden.
- Philosophical Echo: This is the age where the body lies most convincingly. It whispers: “You are built to last.”
2. The Age of Silent Erosion (30s–40s)
- Metaphor: The betrayal begins quietly.
- Physiology: Surface softening, matrix disarray, cellular fatigue.
- Color: Dull off-white—hope fading into entropy.
- Philosophical Echo: The body still performs, but the scaffolding of resilience is fraying. The nap of the carpet wears down—comfort becomes memory.
3. The Age of Symptomatic Collapse (50s–60s)
- Metaphor: The reckoning.
- Physiology: Cracks deepen, cartilage thins, bone exposure begins.
- Color: Yellowish-brown—AGEs accumulate like metaphysical debt.
- Philosophical Echo: Pain enters the chat. The body no longer hides its decline. The myth of maintenance is shattered.
4. The Age of Eburnation (70s+)
- Metaphor: The polished bone of truth.
- Physiology: Cartilage gone, bone remodeled, inflammation rampant.
- Color: Stark ivory white—truth without cushion.
- Philosophical Echo: This is the age of irrelevance made visible. The joint becomes a battlefield of memory and debris.
A big surprise!!!
Asking AI
I will borrow from Newton and Einstein the expression annus mirabilis.
Gauss!!!What year and at what age was he when he formulated something new that left his colleagues, the mathematicians, speechless?
Answer by AI
Excellent choice! And the connection to annus mirabilis is very fitting — because Gauss didn't have just one, but many such "miracle years" throughout his life.
However, there is one specific year where the entire mathematical community (and especially later mathematicians) was left truly speechless by his genius:
?? Gauss's Annus Mirabilis: 1796
The year he turned 19 (!)
?? What happened then?
Within a few months, Gauss discovered four fundamental things that changed mathematics forever:
1. Construction of the Regular 17-gon with a Ruler and Compass
On March 30, 1796, Gauss proved that a regular 17-sided polygon could be constructed using only a ruler and compass—something no one had achieved since the time of Euclid.
It was the first new geometric construction in over 2000 years!
This discovery moved him so deeply that he requested a 17-gon be engraved on his tombstone(and indeed, it is there!).
2. Proof of the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra
He showed that every polynomial has at least one root in the field of complex numbers.
A theorem we take for granted today,but which no one had rigorously proven until then.
3. The First Clear Formulation of the Law of Quadratic Reciprocity
That same year, he began laying the foundations of number theory as we know it, introducing the concept of congruences modulo n, the basis for cryptography and modern number theory.
4. Proof that a Regular n-gon is Constructible if and only if n is a product of distinct Fermat primes and a power of 2.
A brilliant generalization linking geometry, numbers, and algebra.
?? Why was this so impressive?
Think about it: at 19 years old, without computers, without guidance, with just paper and pencil, he discovered relationships that connect Euclidean Geometry, Number Theory, and Algebra into a unified system of thought.
This unity is the reason he was called "Princeps Mathematicorum" — the Prince of Mathematicians.
If you like, I can write out how Gauss spent that year — like a diary of an annus mirabilis, with the dates, discoveries, and his emotions as he himself noted them.
Would you like me to do that?
My answer
Right now, I am the one who has been left speechless, but for a different reason.
A friend of mine claimed that Gauss, and others—he mentioned a few names—performed miracles at an old age. However, because I hold the opinion that in old age one might simply be reiterating something they had understood when they were young—and we might never be able to know for sure—I was skeptical.
And I was left speechless because the age of 22, which I used to believe was when miracles happened, has now been pushed back to 19.
That is, the exact opposite of what my friend imagined. And I definitely want to learn the details of Gauss's diary.
When I am ready and have found my composure again, I will let you know.
Original list
Introduction for the List
One of the reasons I am sharing this list is because, quite often, even the best doctors forget the age of the person sitting in front of them.
They learn from medical books that, for example, a certain surgery at age 50 might offer at least 20 more years of good quality life.
Carried away, they sometimes say the same to a 70-year-old, ignoring the reality that even if the surgery were successful, that person simply does not have 20 years of good quality life ahead.
Another reason is that we forget how we were as teenagers when trying to raise our kids.
The third reason is that sometimes blame is directed at someone who is 65 about the life they lived that contributed to a certain health problem.
After 63, everyone who manages to surpass that age has done well. The main reason for health problems after this age is biology, because the body can no longer handle repairs. Even people who manage to have good health afterwards seem to merit congratulations for the extra health care they had at their disposal—but it is not certain that it is good to be that old...
Perhaps for every age mentioned, there is a good reason for its explanation.
This timeline is not meant to be pessimistic (although being over 71 tends to bring realism up) but realistic, a reminder of how biology, psychology, and medicine unfold with age and where preventive care and screenings fit in. It also serves to point out at what age our vital lies start to hurt.
Some Thoughts
I never met a human living happily and describing it as living happily.
This thought helps me realize that some people of 80 years old, saying I am happy and I'm enjoying my life, just prove they don't.
When we are happy we have no need to say this vital lie. Truly happy people radiate their happiness and talk about interesting things and no one can spoil their happiness by saying a hard truth.
The Universal Journey of Age: A Life in Stages
From the moment we enter the world, age begins its quiet narrative—subtle, relentless, and profoundly transformative. This is a playful yet honest chronicle of that journey, a universal map of human experience through the decades.
Age 0 — Born with arteries already plotting their midlife rebellion.
Age 1 — Survives the perilous cradle years.
Age 3 — Learns the word “mine” and the world shifts forever. First suspicions of limitation dawn.
Age 4½ — Discovers adults don’t have all the answers. Begins asking “Why?” with weaponized persistence.
Age 5 — A full cast of imaginary friends and a portfolio of irrational fears emerge. Acceptance of limits feels more final.
Age 5 — Experiences the first conscious, heart-wrenching loss—a pet, a grandparent—the universe acquires a permanent crack.
Age 6 — Childhood’s best years are sacrificed to the promise of ‘golden years’—grey hair and daily pills—no opting out. Welcome to school.
Age 7 — Innocence quietly packs its bags, futilely trying to bend reality’s rules.
Age 8 — Discovers the art of the fib and the surprising power of deception.
Age 9 — First inklings of mortality; wonders if death has some supernatural extension.
Age 10 — Bedtime tyranny sparks the first rebellion.
Age 11 — Learns fairness is not a universal law.
Age 12 — Hormones arrive uninvited, with indefinite residency.
Age 12½ Discovers parents are not omnipotent.
Age 13 — A trilogy of acne, angst, and awkward silences unfolds.
Age 14 — The first real romantic heartbreak: painfully profound yet embarrassingly trivial.
Age 15 — Masters the eye-roll as both an art form and primary communication.
Age 16 — Believes they’ve invented suffering; parents temporarily become idiots. Death feels bidirectional; depression silently settles in.
Age 17 — Future anxiety manifests—a permanent, low-grade panic over college, independence.
Age 18 — University or work; caffeine becomes a core nutrient.
Age 19 — Savoring newfound independence with a cereal-for-dinner mantra.
Age 20 — Freedom’s first taste, celebrated with late nights and questionable decisions.
Age 20½ The first serious, non-romantic "friendship" collapses. Realization that some people just leave.
Age 21 — Legally adult; emotionally, “pending.”
REAL LIFE STARTS
Age 22 — First job shock: taxes aren’t a suggestion. Usain Bolt gave to this age, the world record of 100 m. 9.58.
Age 23 — Realizes “adulting” is 10% fun, 90% bills.
Age 24 — Life’s brochure begins to look misleading.
Age 25 — Brain’s operating system finally loads; chilling awareness that the end nears.
Age 25½ Begins buying "quality goods," believing they will last. Proven immediately wrong.
Age 26 — Parental texting breaches social media—a new horror. Albert Einstein was 26 years old, when he had his annus mirabilis which was 1905.
REAL LIFE ENDS
Age 27 — The great wedding panic; peers “falling for it” inspires pity and envy.
Age 28 — The “28-Glide,” a calm before the storm of the 30s.
Age 29 — Last hurrah of uncomplicated ambition; winning feels past. HORROR FEELS AHEAD.
Age 29½ — Buys a vinyl for the vibe but owns no player.
Age 30 — The decade of “I should have my life together by now” commences.
Age 31 — Identity crisis, now professionally formatted with spreadsheets.
Age 31½ — Corporate retreat learned nothing; bonds form over shared cynicism.
Age 32 — Contemplates life’s meaning; yoga is tried but couch loyalty remains.
Age 33 — Older than most athletes; a low-grade, long-haul depression settles.
Age 33½ — Realizes love is less fireworks, more who remembers your coffee order.
Age 34 — Called “sir” or “ma’am” for the first time; spine protests.
Age 35 — Metabolism resigns, formally.
Age 35½ Memories, are really obituaries, from now on.
Age 36 — Fertility starts eyeing exit signs.
Age 37 — First true back pain; universal language understood.
Age 37½ Yawning at the office ceases to be a sign of boredom and becomes chronic sleep deprivation.
Age 38 — Involuntary sounds begin with every sit and stand.
Age 38½ — Buys vitamins named “Vitality Boost” and forgets to take them.
Age 39 — The “last chance” audit before 40, frantic and final.
Age 39½ — Buys a self-help book, never reads it; wisdom by proximity.
Age 40 — Body becomes a symphony of creaks and mysterious aches.
Age 41 — First time someone says, “You look younger!”
Age 42 — Develops unexpectedly strong opinions about lawn care.
Age 42½ — Briefly dreams of opening a bakery; forgets how to make sourdough.
Age 43 — Horrified and proud to become their parents.
Age 44 — Reading glasses become necessary, yet unwelcome.
Age 44½ — Wonders if the universe listens; gets a parking spot after a wish.
Age 45 — Uses “back in my day” with zero irony.
Age 46 — Finds solace in routine; adventure limited to TV.
Age 47 — Midlife crossroads: motorcycle or mindfulness? Often, just the couch.
Age 47½ — Parenting adult children feels like emotional tech support.
Age 48 — Secret Googling: “How to parent adult children without crying.”
Age 49 — Milestone birthday sparks an RSVP-enabled existential crisis.
Age 50 — Yoga is tried again; pulls something new.
Age 51 — Now asks, “How old do I look?”
Age 52 — Begins sentences with "I’m not ageist, but..." especially about music.
Age 53 — Joins the “sandwich generation,” caught between tuition and care homes.
Age 53½ Develops an obsessive compulsion to turn off lights in unused rooms.
Age 54 — Develops strong checkout etiquette opinions.
Age 55 (Women) — Menopause: the great hormonal reshuffle.
Age 55 (Men) — The chair grunt becomes standard procedure.
Age 56 — Prescriptions gradually become collectibles.
Age 57 — Thermostat beliefs harden into dogma.
Age 58 — Stories start with “You won’t believe what happened...” followed by the mundane.
Age 59 — Hair dye—cheapest illusion of youth.
Age 59½ — Mentors someone younger, hoping they learn (but knowing they won’t).
Age 60 — Retirement brochures arrive uninvited.
Age 61 — Senior discounts: insulting but irresistible.
Age 61½ — Measures time in doctor visits and pharmacy lines.
Age 62 — Pre-retirement anxiety sparks spreadsheets for “exit strategies.”
Age 63 — Stem cells take a sabbatical; hope clings to “getting well.” Reaching this age means you succeeded. People blaming you for whatever happens that you did a mistake, are mistaken themselves. From now on, it is the best time for a clean death. Whoever succeeds in that too, is chosen by the Gods!!!
Age 64 — Complains about weather with meteorological expertise.
Age 64½ Discovers the body has its own "bathroom schedule," independent of conscious will.
Age 65 — Driving license renewal doubles as high-stakes eye exam.
Age 66 — Medicine and MD’s become a quicksand trap, of torture until death. Carries extra pills “just in case.”
Age 67 — Regards post-1995 technology with suspicion.
Age 67½ — Joins—and can’t leave—a group chat.
Age 68 — Friends at reunions hunt familiar faces behind strange masks.
CRITICAL AGE
Age 69 — Achieves “I’ve lived through worse” peak status. If you are still living, you probably did the mistake to ask help.
Doctors performing major operations are not helping according to Hippocrates but playing God, according to Frankenstein. Death gets ugly. Doctors do not install something good, they patch old plumbings, creating something ugly and dangerous.
About Albert Einstein: “Nissen recommended an exploratory surgery, a procedure that would allow a direct look inside the 69-year-old genius. What Nissen discovered was a large aortic aneurysm—a widened, weakened stretch of the body’s largest artery.” Some years later after the experience of prolonging his life, he refused another surgery saying clearly “I have done my share, it is time to go. I will do it elegantly. It is tasteless to prolong life artificially.” Wise words from a remarkably wise man.
END GAME
Age 70 – At this age and beyond, great care is required in making decisions about treatments. Many times, despite good intentions, interventions may worsen the patient's general condition instead of improving it. The search for "miracles" must be accompanied by the awareness that often "miracles" can make things worse. Quality of life and the patient's wishes must be the primary criteria for choosing care. I hope that after 70, no one will need to make such decisions.
It is worth noticing, that even prisoners, when they reach 70, have better treatment for early release.
Age 71 — “My age, thank you,” doctor younger than jeans.
Age 72 — Masters the “Get off my lawn!” stance.
Age 72 — Please don't die! please don't die!
just sit here, shit your pants and sigh.
Age 73 — Perfects the meaningful, multi-layered sigh.
Age 74 — Realizes all ailments share one common denominator; therapy search becomes desperate.
Age 75 — Illnesses arrive like unwelcome, persistent guests.
GOLDEN YEARS ARE A BAD JOKE
Age 76 — Life’s final jokes reveal promises’ opposites. GL
Age 77 — Mind tries to manage body; comic failure ensues.
Age 78 — Memory becomes a beautiful, if frayed, patchwork quilt.
Age 79 — Living repository of “how things used to be done.”
OUT OF LIFE (If you manage to do some bicycle, a journalist might come to forge false hope for the younger and then forget you)
Age 80 — Wisdom and stubbornness reach perfect balance.
Age 83 — Slow-motion heroics aided by mobility devices begin.
Age 85 — Collects diagnoses like rare stamps.
Age 87 — Supernatural family gossip hearing; selective medical deafness.
Age 88 — Legendary status: surviving long while gloriously opinionated.
Age 89½ — Woody Allen, at this age, said he was one of the lucky ones — he didn’t need a cane.
When the absence of a cane becomes luck, you have reached the purest form of realism about aging.
Age 90 — Proud relic or well-dressed parlor ghost.
Age 91 — The Age of Irrelevance
It's irrelevant to forgive the irrelevant
It's irrelevant to forgive the noise
It's irrelevant to smile at the carnival
It's irrelevant to pretend this had meaning
It's irrelevant not to die…
Last thought.
If realism looks like pessimism, then things are much worse than we can guess.
Declaration.
My intention is to save souls from tοrture, especially mine.
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