My father was a free-thinking Christian, and a man who made his own passport as a citizen of the world.  He was very open to discussing matters of the meaning of life with anyone.  My mother had a profound spiritual experience early in her life and retained the sense that life is miraculous.

Old age looks so dreary, especially to tired people in their fifties. Is this all there is to look forward? Getting stiff, wrinkled, sick, diminished?

Well, I felt like that at times in my fifties and spent a lot of time in my sixties working hard to avoid ageing.

But ageing happens. It’s non-negotiable.

Now I am rushing towards eighty and with the blessings – and they feel like blessings – of good health and enough money, I find ageing totally fascinating.

Sitting with colleagues and friends recently we all agreed that we needed to learn to say ‘yes’ to more things in life than we had before we retired.  After a full week’s work we had been content to work in the garden, go to a movie, relax.  But now we are less occupied with work we notice that we need a new skill.